THE villages of Salford Priors and Wootton Wawen have both applied to be designated as neighbourhood areas, as the first stage in the process of developing their own neighbourhood plans.

Members of the public will now be invited to comment on the applications before a decision is made on them by Stratford District Council.

If either community is designated as a Neighbourhood Area, then local people can begin to put together a local plan, setting out how they would like to see the area developed into the future, which can be taken into consideration when dealing with future planning applications.

Under the Localism Act, everyone from residents and businesses, to parish and town councillors are encouraged to get involved in the creation of the plan.

Copies of the applications from both Salford Priors and Woottton Wawen can be viewed on the district council website at stratford.gov.uk/nplan or at Stratford District Council’s offices at Elizabeth House. The application for the Salford Priors neighbourhood are will also be available to view at Stratford-upon-Avon, Bidford-on-Avon and Alcester libraries during normal opening hours, while the Wootton Wawen plan will be on show at Stratford-upon-Avon Library and Henley Community Library.

The deadline for the consultation is 5pm on Friday, March 21, 2014. and comments can either be sent to planning.policy@stratford-dc.gov.uk or to Planning Policy, Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Elizabeth House, Church Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6HX.