VILLAGE design statements for Durrington, Winterslow and Swallowcliffe have been approved by Wiltshire Council, meaning they will be taken into consideration when planning applications are put forward within those communities.

The council’s southern area planning committee accepted the documents at a meeting held on Thursday, with members and planning officers praising the efforts of villagers in forming the plans.

Cllr Chris Devine said: “All three of these are a credit to the people who put them together.”

The statements are prepared by local communities as a way of offering a framework for engaging local people in debate about defining the character of the area they live in and ensuring that any new development is in keeping with that character.