Villagers in Gargrave have made the first step towards having their say in the way their community is developed..

Following a meeting last summer to establish a working group, Gargrave Parish Council has submitted an application to designate the parish a “neighbourhood area”.

The application to Craven District Council is the first formal move in creating the plan.

People who live, work or carry out business in the parish are being invited to submit comments on the proposal before Monday’s deadline.

Parish council clerk Helen Carruthers said it was not a consultation on the plan itself, which had yet to be prepared by the parish council, but was an opportunity to comment on the proposed area.

“It is felt that the whole parish area with its mix of land uses is appropriate to be designated as the neighbourhood area,” she said.

The application can be viewed at cravendc.govuk/article/3110/Neighbourhood-Planning The opportunity to set up neighbourhood plans was introduced in the Localism Act 2011 which allows communities to establish policies on the development and use of land in the parish or neighbourhood area.

Comments should be sent to Craven District Council’s Planning Policy Team by email or post, at ldf@cravendc.gov.uk or 1 Belle Vue Square, Skipton, BD23 1FJ.

All comments will be publicly available and may be included on the council’s website.