Dozens of residents of a Breckland village have met to discuss setting up a blueprint to help shape their community.

On Saturday about 50 people from Old Buckenham gathered at its village hall to attend a meeting about creating a neighbourhood plan, which could influence how future developments may look and be located in the village.

Neighbourhood plans are a legally binding document to help shape council policies.

However the meeting heard if a plan was created it could not stop developments but only influence their appearance and location.

And any plan, which would have to be led by the parish council, would be subservient to the local plan being drafted by Breckland Council which is due to finalised at the end of next year and is looking at land for development for thousands of homes for the next 22 years.

The residents heard from a panel comprising Old Buckenham Parish Council chairman Steve Milner, Adrian Joel, Breckland councillor for the village, Sarah Hornbrook, a resident and planning consultant, and resident Tim Bornett, who has agreed to lead the creation of any local plan.

At the end of the meeting the panellists agreed to draw up a questionnaire to be distributed in the village, which has 1,200 residents, to see if there is support for a neighbourhood plan.

Mr Milner said: 'It is heart warming that people feel so much about their village they are willing to turn out today.' Should Old Buckenham have a neighbourhood plan? Email anthony.carroll@archant.co.uk