OKEHAMPTON'S town and hamlets councils have agreed the boundaries of the neighourhood plan being put together for Okehampton.

The two councils met on Tuesday, April 7 and members of both councils agreed that the entirety of both parishes should be included in the application for area designation for a neighbourhood plan to the local planning authority — in this case, West Devon Borough Council.

This means that the entirety of the town will be included in the plan, as well as the hamlets of Brightley, Southcott, Meldon and Stockley.

Designating the neighbourhood plan boundary and applying for neighbourhood plan area designation is the very first step in the process to create such a plan.

The two councils have adopted a joint councils' protocol to start the process of creating the neighbourhood plan.

Such plans establish general planning policies for the development and use of land in a neighbourhood like where new homes and work space should be built, and what they should look like.

The plan can be detailed or general depending on the desires of local people. Neighbourhood plans allow local people to get the right type of development for their community but the plans must still meet the needs of the wider area.

The two councils have united forces to put together the plan amidst the high levels of development planned for Okehampton in the coming years.

Okehampton town clerk Paul Snell said: 'The town council has put forward three representatives who will, together with representatives from the Hamlets, form the initial working group.

'The first task will be to draft terms of reference for the working group which will be a necessary element in the submission of application for area designation.'

The working group is scheduled to meet this week to start the process and consider early-stage public engagement.