BRENTWOOD Borough Council is asking for views and comments about designating a Neighbourhood Plan Area covering West Horndon Parish.

Neighbourhood planning regulations came into force two years ago and introduced a new approach to planning, giving local communities’ greater power to shape how their area develops in the future.

Neighbourhood planning can be undertaken by parish councils or neighbourhood forums, with Brentwood Borough Council providing assistance and taking decisions at key stages.

An application has been submitted by West Horndon Parish Council, which shows the area to be covered by a neighbourhood plan.

The plan enables a local community to create a vision and planning policies for the use and development of land in a neighborhood. The plan can be general or detailed, depending on what matters to local people, but must conform to strategic policies in the council’s adopted local plan.

The consultation, which started on May 29, will run for six weeks until July 10. Details of the consultation are on the Council’s website and those who have requested to be kept informed of Local Development Plan consultations have been notified.

The council want to hear residents views and are requesting that comments be sent to planning.policy@brentwood.gov.uk or in writing to: Planning Policy Team, Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8AY.

For more information about the consultation or neighbourhood planning visit the council’s website www.brentwood.gov.uk/neighbourhoodplan or contact the Planning Policy Team on 01277 312500/ planning.policy@brentwood.gov.uk.