By RACHEL SPENCER

LINKS between the council and residents are being strengthened by a number of specialist Village Design Groups which are forming across the town.

Communities are urged to set up the groups which will allow them to have a say on the future design, layout and character of new developments.

The groups bring together the views of residents in order to produce a Village Design Statement.

Once completed, planners can adopt the VDS as supplementary planning guidance to its statutory development plan and it could also go some way to help determine the outcome of planning applications for future development.

Four groups in Warrington, Grappenhall and Thelwall, Lymm, Oughtrington and Burtonwood have established themselves among the first groups in the north west to embark on village design statements and have been progressing over the past year.

Borough councillors have agreed with the four groups that they should meet regularly to move forward and work together on a partnership basis, aiming to provide stronger links and help groups complete their statements so they can be adopted by the council.