RYEDALE District Council is encouraging citizens to take part in a consultation about the Malton and Norton Neighbourhood Plan.

Neighbourhood Plans are powerful tools written by local communities to ensure that their towns or villages get the right type of development in the right places.

If adopted, Neighbourhood Plans become part of the Development Plan and are used to assess planning applications in the area covered.

After all necessary submissions for the plan have been made by Malton and Norton Town Councils, it has now been prepared for public consultation which is an opportunity for local people to comment on the plan’s vision and policies which will influence the way Malton and Norton develop and grow.

Phillip Spurr, Programme Director for Place and Resources for Ryedale District Council, said: “This consultation is a chance for citizens to have a voice in shaping the future of their community.

“Neighbourhood Plans enable communities to play a much stronger role in developing the areas in which they live and work and protecting the facilities they value.

“That is why we’re calling for citizens in Malton and Norton to look at the proposed plan and tell us what they think.

“It’s important for us to hear their views as we develop plans which could ultimately shape their communities.”

The documents which make up the plan are available to view on the council website.

A form is available on the same webpage for citizens to make comments on the Neighbourhood Plan, or people can email localplan@ryedale.gov.uk to ask for a pdf version or a printed version to be posted to them.

Ryedale District Council is also happy to received feedback via letter.

The plan will be subject to independent examination.

If successful at that stage, it will proceed to a local referendum and be formally adopted by the council if a majority vote is achieved.

The consultation runs until June 20.