Responses to a new Local Plan have “exceeded all expectations”, according to the council tasked with delivering it.

St Albans City and District Council is delighted with the initial reaction to the consultation process, which it launched last week.

It said that more than one thousand people have given their views on the proposals for 2020 to 2036, which includes the building of more than new homes each year.

Cllr Mary Maynard, responsible for planning at the council, said that while the level of response has been fantastic, those behind the Plan are still keen to hear from more people.

She said: “In just two weeks we’ve had almost as many replies as we did for the entire six-week consultation we held for a previous Local Plan in 2014.

“We want to hear, though, from many more people and would ask those who have yet to reply to do so.

“It is particularly important that we hear from the under-40s as this is a group we found hard to reach during previous exercises.

“They need to make their voice heard as the issues at stake will be important to them and affect the District in the years all the way up to 2036.

“It only takes a short time to consider the main Local Plan proposals and fill in the questionnaire.”

The Local Plan covers future housing, business and infrastructure developments in the region, including the building of almost 15,000 new homes.

Around 5,000 of these are to be built on land within the city and other existing settlements.

Other options include expanding existing settlements into Green Belt, building on other large sites that contribute least to Green Belt objectives or creating new Garden Villages.

According to the council, around 60,000 leaflets promoting the consultation were delivered to homes and organisations earlier this month.

And an exhibition in Redbourn, the first of a series held across the District to explain the Plan, attracted 85 people.

The consultation runs until February 21. After it is finished, all views will be taken into account while a draft of the new Local Plan is completed.

If all goes to schedule, it will be considered by full council in the summer, consulted on again in the autumn, and submitted to the Government in March 2019.

Visit www.stalbans.gov.uk/localplan2018 to access the questionnaire relating to the Local Plan, as well as other significant documents and details of future exhibitions.