Extra time is being made for people to make comments on the plan for how the Stroud district will look in future generations.

Stroud District Council's Local Plan maps out where homes and businesses will go, up to 2040.

A six-week consultation period started on Wednesday, May 26, but it will now last eight weeks and end on July 21 instead of July 7.

Stroud District Council environment committee chair Chloe Turner acknowledged that the Coronavirus pandemic meant extra time for the consultation is needed.

"Because of the challenges associated with carrying out public consultation during the ongoing pandemic, we have extended the consultation period by two weeks, with the period now ending 21 July," she said.

The Local Plan is at the review stage, and that is what is being consulted on now.

Stroud District Council has to meet a current target of almost 13,000 new homes by 2040 and if the council does not allocate space for these homes, the Government could direct where they are built.

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there are some changes to the way members of the public can get involved. This is in line with amended national planning legislation. This means all documentation is only published online.

To view at the plan and respond to it, please visit www.stroud.gov.uk/localplanreview 

Following the consultation period, the Plan will be submitted for examination by an independent planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State.

If you have any questions about this consultation stage or need help filling in the representation form or accessing the documents please contact the Planning Strategy Team at local.plan@stroud.gov.uk  or call 01453 754143.

The Pre-Submission Draft Local Plan was approved for publication by Full Council on 29 April.