HIGHWORTH Town Council is getting ready to go ahead with a referendum vote for planned housing developments.

The Neighbourhood Plan, which has taken nearly three years to draw up, will give the town council more of a say over where new housing developments are built.

The community has been consulted at every stage of the lengthy planning process to ensure they are happy with the changes that will be made to housing developments in the town.

Highworth town councillors voted unanimously in favour of the suggestion to accept the amended plan and send it to Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet for approval.

After this, it is hoped that a referendum will be called in May or June, then leaflets will be distributed to every home in Highworth giving details of what it will entail.

If 51 per cent of voters approve the plan, it will be one step closer to becoming policy. If they don’t, it will be scrapped.

Neighbourhood Plans set out policies on the development and use of land in an identified parish or neighbourhood area.

Once plans are adopted they will become part of the Local Development Framework for Swindon and they will become a main consideration in the planning system when making decisions on new applications.

They cannot be used to deny development but can direct new housing to locations that are agreed upon by the council and the community.

For example, a site in Highworth that had archaeological remains under the soil would be ruled out for development and the council would ask residents for an acceptable site to direct the planned housing to.

It is expected that about 120 new houses will be built in Highworth with this plan, with potential development sites including the Blackworth Trading Estate and near Redlands by Swindon Road.

In 2013, every town and parish council was encouraged to some up with a plan for their own area which would be like a scaled-down version of the Swindon Town Plan. Highworth was one of the first towns to write a plan.