RESIDENTS OF Tavistock are being consulted again on their priorities for their vision of the town.

A special community conversation event will take place next month as the latest stage of creating a neighbourhood development plan (NDP) which reflects what sort of place residents want to live and work in and how land is used, how the community develops and how residents can protect what matters to them.

The initial survey identified residents’ key issues: affordable housing, places of leisure for young people, and good transport links all linked by the thread of environmental sustainability. Policing and heritage are also issues.

The vision for the town is evolving and concentrates on the following topics: business, community facilities, environment, heritage, housing and transport along with connectivity.

It is designed to be a meaningful land use plan which West Devon Borough Council must refer to when considering planning applications and making decisions about vital community infrastructure to support residents and the town . It will form a part of the local development plan and sit directly under the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan. The plan will have an important statutory role and status when planning and other decisions are made concerning controversial issues.

Cllr Ursula Mann, NDP lead town councillor and steering group chairman said: ‘We want as much community input as possible to help put together realistic policy aims. We won’t be presenting, but we will be listening. Residents’ needs and evidence are our key tools to make the plan have credibility.’

She added: ‘The issue of affordable rental and housing to buy is of prime importance to people and of vital importance to the healthy future of the community and economy of Tavistock, and policies to address those issues can be included in the plan even though the NDP does not allocate housing sites.’

She said there’s a so-called squeezed middle of families who want to buy, rather than rent, but cannot afford to buy and therefore, cannot live in the town. A possible solution is the use of ‘community land trusts’ which place land into a trust for the benefit of local people to be managed for affordable homes to help alleviate the shortage of medium sized family homes or address other housing needs identified by the plan evidence.

The plan’s formal policy document will be drafted later this year, setting out proposed policies informed by the vision, aims and objectives consultation with the community and supported by rigorous research and evidence gathering.

The community conversation event is on Wednesday, February 22 at 6.30pm at Tavistock Town Hall. If any group or resident who wants to be consulted and take part in next month’s meeting, they can email: [email protected]. The plan can be viewed at https://tavistockplan.info/