The communities of Laverstock and Ford have shown their support for a neighbourhood plan to help shape future development in the parish. 

A referendum was held on Thursday, October 13, which asked residents ‘do you want Wiltshire Council to use the community's neighbourhood plan for Laverstock and Ford to help it decide future planning applications in the neighbourhood area?'. 

There were 801 votes in favour of approving the plan with 124 against, equating to 12.7 per cent turn out.

A neighbourhood plan is designed to allow communities to shape the development of their local area. 

This now means that the Laverstock and Ford Communities Neighbourhood Plan will be given "full weight" when planning applications are considered by Wiltshire Council. 

The chair of Laverstock and Ford Parish Council, Nick Baker said: “This is the culmination of over five years of work and I am very grateful to all of the councillors, members of the steering group and staff who have enabled the local community to make its voice heard on the future for development within our community.

"This plan recognises the need for more good quality, environmentally sustainable homes, but also the importance of balancing this with the protection of landscape and green spaces which characterise our beautiful parish and the provision of the essential facilities which make successful communities.

"The strong support for the plan is a clear democratic mandate against inappropriate developments such as the proposed 135 houses on Church Road in Laverstock. ”

Introduced through the Localism Act 2011, neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood and shape the development and growth of their local area.

The Laverstock and Ford parish includes the areas of Bishopdown Farm, Hampton Park, Riverdown Park, Ford, Old Sarum, Longhedge and parts of Milford.

Vic Bussereau, the neighbourhood plan steering group lead, welcomed the result, adding it was "great new for the parish" and "the successful conclusion to work done by the steering group in guiding the draft through the various stages of the planning process.”

Cllr Ian McDonald, who was a member of the neighbourhood planning steering committee said: “Now the work begins to apply it in the planning and development debates that will follow in the coming years."