The people of Ross are going to be given the opportunity to directly shape local planning policy to be adopted by both Ross Town Council and Herefordshire Council. Ross Town Council's Planning and Sustainable Development Committee has drafted a Neighbour Development Plan which, once adopted, will sit alongside Herefordshire Council's planning framework. All future planning applications will have to consider both documents. Ross Town Council will still only have powers to comment on planning applications but deviating from the Neighbour Development Plan would be grounds for refusal – a significant difference from previous town plans, which did not effect statutory planning guidance. Councillor Dr Jane Roberts, Chairman of Ross Town Council's Planning and Sustainable Development Committee, said: "By Autumn, we hope to have collated responses from a consultation, and have a final set of objectives which have broad support in the town. "Residents will receive a questionnaire in post. There will also be an interactive websites, a public meeting, and a road show going out across Ross so everyone gets a chance to have their say. "Once the Plan has been adopted, it will have teeth." Cllr Roberts said that the Town Council have decided to throw themselves into the Neighbourhood Plan because of the real impact it will have on planning and because of the financial implications. Cllr Roberts said: "Without the plan we will get considerably less money from Community Infrastructure Levy (previously called a 'Section 106 agreement') and some of the money comes directly to the parish council. "This underlines the importance of the merger between Ross Town and Rural Parish councils as all the development land is in Ross Rural, and if we end up with a Neighbourhood Plan with all the money coming in, and we haven't merged the two authorities, Ross Rural will have all the money and Ross Town will be providing all of the services to all of the new people who are living in Ross Rural, but not contributing the town's services." According to Cllr Roberts, Ross-on-Wye Neighbourhood Plan has used the 2010 Town Plan "a really good starting point" to help frame the new objectives, which include housing, working and shopping, getting around, lesiure and wellbeing, and landscape, heritage and sustainability. The consultation process will also link with the 'rTown' project being carried out by local firm AMS Consulting. In April, AMS won £90,000, in a national competition, to investigate innovative ways to attract shoppers and visitors to Ross, and at the recent Ross Town Council meeting, AMS were congratulated on the award.