HOLMES Chapel residents gave an overwhelming thumbs up to the village’s neighbourhood plan as part of a landmark referendum last week.

More than 41 per cent of residents turned out to vote, with 97 per cent of those requesting that Cheshire East Council uses the plan when considering future development.

The neighbourhood plan, devised over the past two years by the community, allows residents to have a say in planning applications. While the plan cannot block development, it can help shape it.

Cllr Brian Bath, neighbourhood plan team chairman, said: This is a resounding approval of the work done by many village residents and others over the past two years.

“We have a plan to be proud of and which shapes the way we want the village to develop over the next 15 years.

“Much has been said that housing development has occurred without the necessary and required improvements to the entire village infrastructure. The plan provides a very clear framework for getting these improvements.

“The future vision for the village, that ‘by 2030, Holmes Chapel will be a vibrant and prosperous hub of the local rural community, offering an attractive place to live, work and play for people of all ages’, will be our guiding principle in shaping how we want to live.”

The plan was put together by the parish council and its neighbourhood plan steering team, and required at least 50 per cent of residents to vote ‘yes’ last Thursday for Cheshire East Council to adopt the plan as soon as is reasonably practical.

In the run up to the vote, 75 village resident volunteers delivered a summary leaflet to 2,454 households to help inform their vote.

The plan can be viewed in full at holmeschapelvote.com.