A draft vision for developing Cirencester Town Centre over the next few decades has been published.

Residents from Cirencester and the surrounding Cotswold district are being asked to comment on the ideas it lays out via a newly launched public consultation.

The Cirencester Town Centre Framework Masterplan is an early vision for the town drawn up by Cotswold District Council.

It sets out ideas for how transport and building design might develop and how the town might change to accommodate a wider range of businesses and services encompassing education , leisure, entertainment, culture, community and health.

Eventually the masterplan will become a supplementary planning document that builds upon and provides more detailed advice and guidance on policies in the Cotswold District Local Plan. It is also being consulted upon  concurrently with the masterplan and the Cirencester Neighbourhood Plan.

Collectively, the three documenets will guide and help coordinate future development and infrastructure in Cirencester town centre.

Councillor Juliet Layton, Cotswold District Council cabinet member for planning and regulatory services said, "This vision for Cirencester is a starting point to inform the development of the town centre in the future.

"The plan will include how we foresee transport and movement around the town and the design of new buildings and will build on the existing successful retail and cultural uses in the town.

"Cirencester has a rich heritage, which draws tourists from all over the world. The masterplan will seek to protect and enhance the town's history, creating a more accessible network of cultural and heritage sites across the town.

"This is an exciting opportunity for residents to get involved in this vision and I urge residents to be a part of the process to make Cirencester an even better place to live, work and visit."

The deliverables within the masterplan include:

• Long-term sustainability and healthy place-shaping of the town centre and wider Cirencester, facilitating a shift from car use to more sustainable modes of transport through high-quality streets, safe routes and public spaces which encourage people to walk, cycle, explore and stay.
• Encouraging and supporting a diverse mix of uses and services to strengthen Cirencester's economy, helping it to be more responsive and resilient in the face of rapid change.
• Encouraging a mix of uses in the town centre.
• Creating a forward-looking town centre which people aspire to live in, work in, study and experience while providing exciting opportunities to grow skills and businesses.
• Creating better connections with the town centre and the wider ecological network, providing multi-functional green spaces in the historic core of the town to cool and provide shade.
• Creating a greater connection between people and Cirencester's past, seeking to reintroduce and strengthen historic gateways into the town.

Residents can see emerging ideas and speak to town planners at two public events covering the Cirencester Town Centre Framework Masterplan and Local Plan consultations.

They are being held on:

• Wednesday, February 21 from 10am until 8pm at the Corinium Museum, Park Street, Cirencester, GL7 2BX
• Wednesday, March 6 from 10am until 8pm at the Redesdale Hall, High Street, Moreton-in-Marsh, GL56 0AX

Views on the plans can also be submitted on the council's website