MEMBERS of the public are invited to have their say on a draft planning document for Tewkesbury Borough, which includes a range of possible options for small-scale development sites.

The document is called the Tewkesbury Borough Plan and, once formally adopted, it will play a key role in helping to guide Tewkesbury Borough's future development between 2011 and 2031.

The consultation on the document runs from Friday, 27 March to 5pm on Monday, 13 April and residents are invited to have their say at a number of events across the borough, as well as online at tewkesbury.gov.uk/boroughplan

The borough council has already asked members of the public for their views on what key issues should be included in the draft borough plan during a consultation in October and November 2013. The responses, which are available on the council's website, were used as a starting point for the proposals within the draft plan.

As well as including all the possible options for small-scale development sites, the draft document includes local planning policies - which cover issues such as how the council will approach rural employment sites, transport and accessibility, conservation areas and the surrounding landscape.

The plan will sit underneath an overarching Joint Core Strategy (JCS) - a document being produced by Gloucester City, Cheltenham Borough and Tewkesbury Borough Councils to guide large scale development, including housing, employment and associated infrastructure.

With significant growth forecast for the borough over the next 16 years, it will be the role of the Tewkesbury Borough Plan to identify specific sites to accommodate the smaller-scale element of this growth.

The JCS already identifies the level of development expected to be accommodated in the rural areas of Tewkesbury Borough - in total, just over 2600 homes need to be built between 2011 and 2031. Most of these homes already have planning permission but it is the job of the Tewkesbury Borough Plan to identify the land to accommodate the remaining 700 homes.

It is really important to recognise that within the draft plan, there are more sites put forward than are needed – and this is so that members of the public can have their say on what would be their preferred option. Therefore, the site options are not set in stone and the draft plan shows what could be achieved at each site if homes were built at a higher or lower density.

The council is keen to hear from as many people as possible, and is encouraging both communities and individuals to give their opinions on which sites, and why, would be most appropriate to meet the required housing need and be included in the next stage of the plan.

Following the consultation period, the potential site options will be refined, drawing on information received during the consultation period. A full set of proposed allocations will then be included in the next stage of the plan.

Tewkesbury Borough Council's Lead Member for Built Environment Cllr Derek Davies said: "This is a really important document for Tewkesbury Borough. Not only does it set out the best way to accommodate our housing needs, it will also inform how we approach its surrounding landscapes, transport, accessibility and employment sites.

"For anyone that lives, works or socialises in the borough, it’s really important they take part in the public consultation and have their say. We want to know whether they think the sites we are looking at are the right ones, whether the housing numbers are correct, or even whether there are any sites that we’ve not picked up on.”

The following consultation events, where the same information will be provided at all, are being held:

Event date Event venue Event open to public

Thursday 5 March Alderton Village Hall 3pm - 7.30pm

Monday 9 March Highnam Parish Rooms, Community Centre 3pm - 7.30pm

Wednesday 11 March Bishops Cleeve Parish Council Offices 3pm - 7.30pm

Monday 16 March Tewkesbury Town Hall 11am - 3pm

Wednesday 18 March Twyning Village Hall 3pm - 7.30pm

Monday 23 March Winchcombe Abbeyfields Community Centre (Sudeley room) 3pm – 7.30pm

Tuesday 24 March Norton Village Hall 4pm - 7pm

Thursday 26 March Shurdington Social Centre 2.30pm - 7.30pm