The Parish of Lydiard Millicent is on the verge of having a neighbourhood plan with residents from all over the parish backing it.

The village initiated development of the plan in May 2012, setting up a steering group before the parish council decided to get involved with the planning as well.

Mike Sharpe, chairman of the neighbourhood plan, said: “You have to get the community together to be able to have a say on what you want this to achieve. We have done a lot of consultation over the last few years, in 2015 we decided to do our own plan and the general consensus is that everyone agrees with having a plan, this is an exciting time for everybody. We will definitely have one in place and it could be that this will be the final draft.”

There are around 1,500 residents that live in Lydiard Millicent and 650 homes. Mr Sharpe expected the next consultation meeting to have a good turnout and he wasn’t wrong with more than 40 residents braving the severe weather conditions to attend.

Villages and towns are adopting the neighbourhood plan in their communities because it lets them have a choice in deciding how to shape the development and growth of their local area. They can choose where they want new homes, shops and offices to be built, have their say on what those new buildings should look like and what infrastructure should be provided but also, they can grant planning permission for the new buildings they want to see go ahead.

Cricklade had their referendum on a neighbourhood plan this month, which resulted in the residents voting in favour of having one. There are 3,278 on the electorate, with 858 locals voting, 811 of those people voted yes with only 47 opting for no. This means there was a turnout of 26 percent of residents who could have voted.

Mr Sharpe said: “We have been following the other parishes around Swindon and Wiltshire in anticipation to see what is happening and to find out the results.

Mr Sharpe said: “It really helps us when it comes to planning, but also gives us a boost to see so many places want the neighbourhood plan."

The next meeting will be on April 3rd at the Jubilee Clubhouse, Chestnut Springs.