RESIDENTS living within the parish of Buckland Monachorum are being urged to get involved with its Neighbourhood Development Plan, which could give more power to the villagers. The plan, if approved, could give the community more power in planning local development, with a say on where new homes, shops and offices could 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. There are several stages to complete before the plan becomes a reality and Buckland Monachorum Parish Council, which covers Clearbrook, Milton Combe, Crapstone, Buckland Monachorum and Yelverton, has just begun the process. An application has been made by the parish council to West Devon Borough Council and Dartmoor National Park Authority to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for its area, and before work on preparing a plan begins, the area covered in the plan needs to be decided, as part of the parish lies within the national park, and the remainder within the borough. Chairman of the parish council Ric Cheadle said the plan could take a while to form, but he urged people to take part. 'We are doing this as it allows the local community to play an active part in the area, and if the plan is approved then we are more in charge of what goes on in the parish,' said Mr Cheadle. 'Once the area of the plan is decided then it is time to get the views of the residents through a questionnaire. 'Then we can write the plan, make any modifications, and then formally submit the plan for adjudication. But at least 50 per cent of people must be in favour of the plan. 'I want to encourage people that live in the parish to get involved with the group that's going to take the plan forward. 'It is really important as this plan is all about them, and we would love it if we had involvement from the residents.' A group has been formed to co-ordinate the production of the Parish of Buckland Monachorum Neighbourhood Plan. The objectives of the group are to produce a plan which covers the parish's residential housing needs and how these should be met, how the needs of the local economy within the parish will be met, how the parish's environment will be enhanced and, where necessary, protected, and how local services will be optimised for those living in the parish. The parish council hopes that people will come forward and become involved in the process and express their views. A public meeting, to which every resident within the parish was invited, outlined the merits of producing a Neighbourhood Plan covering the area encompassing the current parish boundary and received broad agreement. If you would like to contact Mr Cheadle to be a part of the plan process, call 01822 854710 or you can email [email protected]">[email protected] • The application to designate a Neighbourhood Plan area for Buckland Monachorum parish was also considered by the plans committee of the Tavistock Town Council on August 26, to which there were no objections from councillors.