Residents went to the polls in Fishwick and St Matthews on Thursday 12 February

Part of Preston has seen more than 1,000 of its residents vote for a new neighbourhood plan.

Fishwick and St Matthews residents came out to vote for the adoption of a document which states how they want to see the area develop.

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In a referendum 972 people voted for the Neighbourhood Plan for Inner East Preston with 75 opposing it.

The plan states how Preston City Council should decide planning applications in the two wards.

The Friends of Fishwick and St Matthews received more than £1 million in lottery funding to help develop their area – with one of their plans.

Councillor Martyn Rawlinson who represents the Fishwick ward said: “All that hard work has paid off with this positive result. Everyone connected with the plan is overjoyed.

“This is the only neighbourhood plan in Preston. Some bigger cities like Nottingham and Leeds have lots of them, but most are in rural areas. This is one of the first in an inner city community, so it has been getting quite a bit of attention nationally.

“This is not a negative idea to stop things happening, it’s a positive plan to make things happen. It’s all very exciting.”

The Friends of Fishwick and St Matthews group posted on Facebook: “Thank you to everyone who helped and voted.”

Around 13.6 per cent of the wards turned out to vote.

Neighbourhood manager at Preston City Council Jennifer Carthy said: “Congratulations to the Friends of Fishwick and St. Matthew’s who made this happen.

“This is a landmark event for the area – it’s one of only a handful of Neighbourhood Plans in an urban area. It’s a first for Lancashire and has attracted national interest.”

Do you live in the area? What do you think of the local plan? Let us know in the comments below