Carnforth residents now have a greater say in the future of the town after its 'Neighbourhood Plan' got a seal of approval.
The plan, which includes policies to guide and shape the future of Carnforth, has been formally made part of Lancaster City Council's Local Development Plan for the district.
This means the views of Carnforth residents on town planning policy will be taken into account when planning applications are decided by the city council, who are the local planning authority.
The Neighbourhood Plan has been produced by Carnforth Town Council through a designated working group, in partnership with the people of Carnforth.
The plan seeks to address a range of issues including heritage, the economy, access and movement, housing scale, type and mix, the environment, and the community.
The Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan was showcased at the COP26, international climate conference, in October 2021, as one of the first such plans seeking to be carbon neutral by 2031.
Following wide consultation and scrutiny by an independent examiner, Carnforth residents voted in January in favour of Lancaster City Council using the Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan to help them decide planning applications.
Councillor Malcolm Watkins, chairman of the Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, said: "We are immensely proud of our town and our Neighbourhood Plan provides the means for a new approach to its development providing our community with greater control over its future.
"The Carnforth Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared during a time of unprecedented, extraordinary and rapid change, locally and globally that has led to new ways of thinking about our homes, working and leisure environments, and has highlighted the importance of our town and surrounding area to the wider district.
"I am grateful to Carnforth Town Council, our consultants, Troy Planning & Design, Lancaster City Council and all those who live and work in the town who have played their part in helping to shape the long-term future of our beloved town.
"Carnforth Town Council will now set about implementing an action plan and monitoring delivery of the plan’s policies and aspirations for the next decade and beyond."
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