SUPPORTERS of a plan aimed at safeguarding Tavistock’s future are going back to school to round up some new recruits.

Members of Tavistock’s Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group want to get youngsters aged 16 or over interested in the project, which will give residents a say in what gets built and where.

The steering group wants to talk to students at Tavistock Community College – but are unable to address a large number of them in one place because of ongoing concerns about the possibility of spreading Covid-19 among youngsters and staff.

So two steering group members have set up a ‘virtual assembly’ for the students, using the latest communication technology to talk to them online.

Supporters of the plan realise it is vital to include younger people in the creation of the plan as they will be adults by the time it is completed.

The development plan is in its infancy, with other, similar projects elsewhere taking up to five years to complete.

That would put current 16-year-olds who will be looking for homes and jobs in the area in their early 20s by the time Tavistock’s plan is ready to roll.

Steering group chair Ursula Mann, who put the assembly together with town council colleague James Ellis, said they were also planning to hold information sessions with students following the virtual event.

She said: ‘We are targeting the young people in the 16-plus age group, something which is seen as important by the college, Tavistock Youth Cafe and other organisations.

‘Anybody over 16 is going to have the opportunity to have a say in the plan itself and raise any issues which they think is important, things like sports facilities or houses and whether they can afford them, or anything which might affect them in the future.

‘The college is having difficulty having large assemblies because of Covid restrictions, which means we can’t do an assembly before the whole school.’