Bramshott and Liphook Parish Council is still appealing for more volunteers to come forward to form the Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group.

People with sports and recreational skills as well as specialist knowledge in a variety or areas are high on the list of requirements – as are residents aged up to 45.

The council is anxious for the steering group to represent a broad spectrum of people living the in parish.

Although the deadline for volunteers to come forward has been set at Monday, October 5, anyone wishing to join the group later on a temporary and specific skill requirement basis is welcome to do so.

Simon Jenkins, East Hampshire District Council’s executive manager for planning policy, gave a comprehensive presentation outlining all points required for an NDP at a well-attended meeting at the Millennium Centre on September 14.

He urged Liphook to put together a “Slimline” version, concentrating on the most important issues concerning the parish.

At Monday’s parish council meeting, chairman Michael Croucher pointed out projects for the NDP can be flexible and would not tie down volunteers to a specific length of time.

He also confirmed that a dozen volunteers had already come forward who are interested in joining the steering group.

In addition two district councillors have signed up and several parish councillors will also come on board. The group will be given time and advice by an EHDC officer and although the South Downs National Park Authority cannot spare any manpower, it will contribute financially towards paying for external expert advice.

The parish has set aside £15,000 over the next two years to fund the NDP and is also expecting funding from other sources.

A Neighbourhood Development Plan has to comply with various stages, starting with its scope, which sets out what the plan will aim to do, followed by consulting the community and preparing a plan.

The next stage would have to be a formal consultation – inviting the community to make comments on the plan – before a formal submission can be made to EHDC and the SDNPA, who will be examining the plan, and if it is passed, call a referendum.

It is necessary to gain more than a 50 per cent “yes” vote in a public referendum to bring an NDP into force. Once it has been approved, it will form part of EHDC’s Local Development Plan.

Such statutory status gives neighbourhood plans far more weight than some other local planning documents, such as parish plans, community plans and village design statements.

An existing parish plan can, however, be integrated into an NDP, having identified main issues.