NEWTON Aycliffe residents will be given the chance to have their say on proposals to improve their area

The community planning event is being held in the West Ward of the town on Saturday, July 20, from 11am to 4.30pm, as a key stage in work to prepare proposals to improve the area.

A large marquee will be erected in the playing field at Stephenson Way Primary School, where West Ward residents can view proposals and make comments.

The exercise is the latest step in the preparation of a masterplan for part of the West Ward, which includes the Malham Crescent, Williamfield and Dales areas, Linden Place, Rowan Place, Elmfield Place, Beechfield, Oakfield and Ashfield.

A spokesman for consultants SRC, who were appointed by Sedgefield Borough Council, said: "This event is a real opportunity for local residents to have their say on the ideas, which have come out of a series of consultation events held in the area in recent months. Everyone's views will be recorded."

The "Event in a Tent" will be informal and fun, with a mix of hands-on activities, an exhibition showing the proposals for improvement that are being looked at, a free prize draw, face-painting, a bouncy castle, and a schools' painting competition.

Free transport will be provided to and from the event, and organisers want as many people from the area as possible to visit and have their say about the future of their community.

The event will be a key stage in the development of a community plan for the future of that part of West Ward, and comes at the end of three months of consultation and research in the area.