CALLINGTON Town Council is pushing for more members of the public to get involved with influencing future development in the town, by participating in the creation of the neighbourhood plan.

The council started the process of creating a neighbourhood plan earlier in the year but now wants to encourage more people to help drive the project forward.

With a change in government legislation, the community is now able to have more power in terms of what happens in their area.

A neighbourhood plan gives the community more capacity in planning local development, with a say on where new homes, shops and offices should be built, a say on what those new buildings should look like, grant planning permission for new buildings the community wants to see, protecting open spaces and identifying projects the community would like to bring forward.

The plan is overseen by the town council but is driven by local residents.

Town clerk Helen Dowdall said: 'It would be encouraging to see a bigger response from the public, to be satisfied that we are engaging as many sectors of the public as possible and encompassing everybody's views.

'It is very important for as many people as possible to be involved with the neighbourhood plan. It is about the whole area being fit for purpose for future generations. It's important to identify areas of significance but equally recognising where we can develop in accordance with future needs.'

She said that it was not just about buildings, but about people and the quality of life they aspired to, maintaining what was important within the community and how they saw the community developing over the next 20 years.

There are four cornerstones on which the council hopes to build the plan: housing and environment, which is being headed by Cllr Phil Harriman; business and economy, headed by Cllr Mark Smith; transport and communications, by Cllr Rick Lumley; health, education and leisure, headed by Cllr Maria Coackley.

The council was keen to stress that people of any age could be involved — students at school who would like to maximise job opportunities and training for when they leave, people with young families who want the best for their children now and in the future, local business people who may be looking for office, retail or industrial space to enable growth, people who may like to see improved youth provision or retired members of the community.

Participants do not need to be highly qualified to be part of the team. They may have certain skills or experience — or know people who do — which would help form the outcome, but a genuine interest in the town and community is the overriding qualification the council is looking for.

'We are pushing for more people to be involved,' said Helen.

'We just want to get as many people engaged in this as possible — everybody's view counts.'

The aim is to complete the neighbourhood plan in nine to 12 months and there is no obligation to be involved throughout if people are only able to 'dip in and out'.

Anyone interested in being involved, or finding out more, should contact Helen on 01579 384039 or speak to one of the councillors responsible for the cornerstones mentioned.