STOW-ON-THE-WOLD Town Council has submitted a proposal to have a neighbourhood area covering Stow and the Swells parish boundaries.

The proposal, submitted to Cotswold District Council, is an important formal stage in setting up a neighbourhood plan.

Stow parish has been designated as a neighbourhood area since 2012, but consultation work undertaken since has identified a desire to include the Swells within the Neighbourhood Plan.

Neighbourhood Planning is one of the powers introduced by the localism act and gives residents more influence over planning issues within their area.

Neighbourhood Plans can give communities more of a say about what development goes where, and what it looks like.

Stow's proposal is subject to public consultation now, with a Friday, February 27 deadline for comments. Visit cotswold.gov.uk to comment.