A SERIES of public consultations are underway in the Bere Ferrers Parish, to gain feedback on a plan to give more say to residents on future planning decisions.

The Bere Peninsula Plan group that is currently trying to create a neighbourhood plan for the parish has begun a series of consultations within the community.

The group created a questionnaire for a Community Plan at the end of last year that attracted a 45% response rate.

Since then the group has been busy analysing the data and inputting it onto its website http://www.berepeninsulaplan.org.uk">www.berepeninsulaplan.org.uk

The group has decided to upgrade from a community plan to a neighbourhood plan, which must be taken into account when planning decisions are made within the parish. It will enable residents to have greater control as to what developments take place on the peninsula, where they may be situated and what these may look like.

The first consultation took place last Saturday and two other consultations are due to follow, the next on Saturday (October 18) in Bere Ferrers Village Hall at 10am and on Wednesday morning, October 22, in Bere Alston Parish Hall at 9.30am.

These consultations will be followed next month by two more — on November 6 in Bere Alston School beginning at 2.30pm and Saturday, November 8, in Bere Alston Parish Hall starting at 10am.

The steering group has been developing a series of consultation papers covering housing, economy, transport and communications, environment and communities. These included not only what residents have said but what other government bodies have indicated for the area.

It is hoped that views from these consultations will enable the group to begin drafting the neighbourhood plan. It is also hoped that the Bere Peninsula Plan can be adopted by West Devon Borough Council in early 2016.

Bere Peninsula plan co-ordinator Mike Benson said that the group hopes to get the views of local residents which will enable them to begin drafting the neighbourhood plan. He urged anyone who had not seen the results of the questionnaire to go to the plan's website to have a look.