RESIDENTS are being urged to have their say on the borough's draft local plan at a series of drop-in information events.

A consultation on the draft Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan Update will run until midnight on Monday, March 4, giving people the chance to get involved in deciding the future of the borough. This includes where homes, and other types of development will be built and how the environment can be protected.

The council are holding several drop-in sessions for residents, where information will be shared by the council and give people a chance to air their views.

The drop-in events are being held on:

• Wednesday, January 31 from 3.30pm to 8pm at Overton Community Centre, High Street, Overton

• Thursday, February 1 from 2pm to 8pm in the Leivesley Room at Sherfield Park Community Centre, Sunwood Drive, Sherfield on Loddon

• Saturday, February 3 from 10am to 5pm at Porchester Square, Festival Place, Basingstoke town centre

• Wednesday, February 7 from 2pm to 8pm at St Mark’s Church, Homestead Road, Kempshott.

Documents can also be viewed at the Civic Offices in London Road, Basingstoke, from 8.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday and in libraries.

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The start of the consultation follows a recent decision by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet to move the draft Local Plan Update forward to the next important stage.

Borough councillors have inputted into the draft plan and policies and the cabinet member responsible for the Local Plan Update, Cllr Andy Konieczko, has met with around 20 parish and town councils to share the key aims of the plan and listen to the priorities for each area.

Cllr Konieczko said: “Making decisions about where future development should go is never easy but accelerating the Local Plan process and moving it forward has been one of our cabinet’s top priorities.

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"All the time we don’t have a plan that has been shaped by the local community, we run the risk of developers making decisions about the future of our borough rather than the people who live here.

“Having an ambitious and robust Local Plan in place is vital to the future of Basingstoke and Deane. We need to balance how we meet the growing demand for new homes and workplaces for current and future generations, while protecting and enhancing our local environment.

“We have worked hard to develop this draft plan and policies with valuable input from our councillors, parish and town councils, and residents and community groups. Now it is time to go out to a borough-wide consultation, share our work and listen to the views of everyone to help us shape the plan. I encourage everyone to have their say to give us a clear vision for the direction in which we collectively want our borough to go.”

Views can also be given online, by email or in writing and people can find out about the plan and its polices at basingstoke.gov.uk/LPU-have-your-say.