A PARISH council whose residents have repeatedly shown no interest in creating a neighbourhood plan is considering making one itself.

Grove Parish Council has held talks with a planning consultant who offered his services.

Councillors are now considering whether to spend thousands of pounds and 18 months drawing up the plan, despite the fact villagers voted against having one.

Council clerk Graham Mundy first met with Vale of White Horse District Council planning officer Andrew Maxted on November 9.

Mr Maxted warned then that councillors' hope the plan could rule-out development to the east of the A338 would not be accepted.

On January 9, the council had a meeting with the Vale's community engagement officer Louise Rawlings and Jeremy Flawn of Bluestone Planning consultancy.

Councillors asked Mr Flawn what the possible benefits could be of drawing up a plan, and he explained that plans do not have to allocate housing sites, are not limited in time, but that parish councils with a plan get up to 25 per cent in Community Infrastructure Levy from developers as against 15 per cent without.

It was at this point that councillor Stephen Dexter pointed out that at a parish meeting in 2014 where the council had tried to urge villagers of the benefits, just one person in the audience of 45 had voted to adopt one.

He also pointed out that Thame Town Council had spent in excess of £100,000 and suggested something 'substantial' would need to be included to encourage residents to take part.

Ms Rawlings cautioned that that she could not tell the community what to include or to do, and added that the the neighbourhood planning group would need to work with the community, 'especially the younger element'.

Mr Flawn said that grants are available of £10,000 for larger villages and a further £9,000 from a community fund.

Following the meeting, Mr Munday agreed to send a note to all councillors asking if they wanted to have another meeting with Louise Rawlings.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Wantage Town Council has revealed its second draft neighbourhood plan is to be published in the coming weeks.

The council took the plans away from a group of 70 volunteers who drew up the first draft after that was refused by a Government planning inspector for 'lack of evidence'.

Mayor Steve Trinder said a new draft drawn up by council officers would be revealed soon.