SOUTH Cerney Parish Council has submitted a proposal to Cotswold District Council (CDC) to have its parish boundaries recognised as a ‘neighbourhood area’ – an important formal stage in setting up a Neighbourhood Plan.

Neighbourhood planning is one of the powers introduced by the Localism Act and should give residents more influence over planning issues within their area.

Although they must follow national and local strategic policies, Neighbourhood Plans can give communities more of a say about what goes where, and what it looks like.

The first stage in the process is to designate the area to be covered, after which the fact-finding and plan development really starts. The proposal is to use the parish boundaries of South Cerney.

This is subject to public consultation which will run until February 29. Visit cotswold.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplanning/consultations to vote.

Philip Nicholas, chairman of South Cerney parish council, said: “The parish of South Cerney was first delineated in 999 under a Saxon charter that described the ‘fertile’ lands of the ‘little settlement’ of Cerney.

The bounds of the parish remain unchanged, and it has now become a large community with a strong identity. We would like to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for our parish that helps to preserve both the history and the vibrancy of our community in the coming years.”