RESIDENTS of Royal Wootton Bassett are voting in a referendum to decide whether a new Neighbourhood Plan will be put in place on Thursday.

The plan aims to enable people in the town to meet their needs for services and facilities locally, thereby reducing the need to travel to Swindon.

Mike Leighfield, Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group, said: “We need the public’s support. It’s taken us five years to put the plan together and it’s been approved by all the appropriate people. It will give locals the chance to have a say in the way the town develops.

“We’re a market town and we want to keep that identity.”

Bassett locals can vote in Thursday’s referendum at the Memorial Hall or the Lime Kilne Leisure Centre if they haven’t sent their postal votes already. People involved in the creation of the plan will be on the High Street from 9.00 am on Wednesday, as well as on the day of the referendum, to inform residents about the proposals.

Some of the proposals include a new railway station to tackle the problem of tailbacks on Junction 16 and gridlock experienced in the town during weekday mornings. A new park and a cycle path connecting Bath Road, Church Street, and important destinations like Jubilee Lake and the Rugby Club are also part of the plan.

Mr Leighfield added: “You need a structure whereby you can say ‘enough is enough’ at some point. Buildings have gone up and up and up and there’s no control of them. Hopefully we get a yes vote so that the plan is written into the Wiltshire Council’s development strategy.”