TAVISTOCK residents have responded to a ground-breaking plan to help shape the market town’s future — and have showed they really do love their home.

The steering group who had called on members of the community to show they loved where they live by getting behind a neighbourhood development plan say nearly 900 households have got behind the scheme.

The development plan, a legally-backed project which helps determine what is built where and for who in Tavistock, is well on the way to being drawn up and submitted to independent inspectors for approval.

That will mean members of the community will have to be consulted before planning authority West Devon Borough Council gives permission for future development with Tavistock’s boundaries.

The plan’s steering group, made up of people from all walks of life, launched a survey among residents calling on them to explain what they felt was needed for the town.

That could have meant commenting on any subject from housing development, to shopping areas to leisure facilities.

Latest figures from the steering group, which has been backed by Tavistock Town Council, show that 861 surveys were completed and returned, which makes up 14 per cent of the 6,100 households in Tavistock.

The steering group said 44 per cent of the responses came, as expected from the over 65 age group and that 26.5 per cent of those people from all ages who responded work from home.

Group members asked people why they lived in the town and many of them made it clear they wouldn’t live anywhere else.

Typical of some of the comments were: ‘I love Tavistock and was born and raised here’; ‘Ideal geographic position and historic town’; ‘Because it is a beautiful, small and historic town in a rural setting with good local amenities, excellent shops and broad NHS services. It thrives with many local independent shops and restaurants, its people have a strong sense of community, and it is a great place to raise a family and succeed in business. It hasn’t yet been spoilt with ugly and unsympathetic architecture in new buildings’; ‘I was born in Tavistock and have lived here all my life.’

Steering group chair Ursula Mann said: ‘I think it’s really exciting and the number of responses showed people clearly cared.’

The group intends to publish the full survey findings at the same time as the UK Census 2021 at the end of next month. A public meeting will discuss the findings in July.

Anyone who wants to join the steering group can do so at [email protected]