THE NEIGHBOURHOOD Plan for Ashton Keynes is set to be formally adopted by Wiltshire Council after residents in the village voted overwhelmingly to support it.

A referendum was held at the end of May in which 91 per cent of voters agreed with the principles set out in the Plan which were developed over the last four years.

Turnout was 38 per cent of the parish.

Malcolm Carter, project co-ordinator of Ashton Keynes Neighbourhood Plan, said: "The Ashton Keynes Neighbourhood Plan now forms part of the development plan and its policies will be given full weight when assessing planning applications that affect land covered by the Plan.

"The key benefits of having a Neighbourhood Plan are that the local community has control over where, and what type of development is acceptable to protect the character of the parish.

"Additionally the parish will receive 25 per cent of developer contributions known as community infrastructure levy for local amenity improvements.
"The Parish Council led the process of preparing the Plan, but it would not have been possible without the support and contribution from the community in the consultations and surveys. 

"A big thank you must particularly go to all the volunteers who formed the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and focus groups, their teamwork and dedication was vital in achieving this successful outcome."