WILTSHIRE’S first neighbourhood plan has been accepted by a huge margin, providing Malmesbury and the surrounding parishes with the power to shape how they town develops.

Votes cast during the referendum on the plan totalled 1961 with 1768 voting in favour, 190 against and a total of three spoiled ballots.

Deputy Mayor and town council representative on the neighbourhood steering group Kim Power said that more than three years of hard work by volunteers had gone into the plan, producing a plan for the entire town on a budget of around £28,000.

After the count was announced she said: “I’m delighted with this fantastic result. It’s been three years of hard work, all by volunteers, and I’m very proud that we’ve come through the first referendum in Wiltshire.

“Malmesbury has shown overwhelming support for the neighbourhood plan.”

Cllr Simon Killane, who chaired the steering group predicted that 80 per cent of the votes cast would come out marked yes and was glad to see himself proven wrong, with a total of 90 per cent of votes favouring the neighbourhood plan.

He added that now the plan was officially adopted it would start a running process of revision and improvement.

Wiltshire Councillor Toby Sturgis said: “I chose them as the front runners and I’m delighted they have delivered this result. The people of Malmesbury have shown with this vote that they want it.”

The Old School Hall polling station collected the highest proportion of votes, returning 36.25 per cent of the electorate’s responses while the worst represented area voted in the Corston and Rodbourne Reading Room with only 22.12 per cent of voters turning out.

The total turnout was 32.4 per cent, compared to 65.1 per cent at the last general election and a whopping 84.6 per cent for the Scottish referendum.

FULL RESULTS:

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard: