A BLUEPRINT has been unveiled to help shape a village's future.

Parish councillors and residents have been involved in drawing up Malpas Parish Plan - an action plan to address issues affecting transport, community facilities, the environment, the economy and social issues.

It is hoped the plan can be adopted as supplementary planning guidance and influence the way Chester City Council makes its decisions.

The idea of parish plans grew out of the Government's Rural White Paper in 2000.

Among the ideas are:

* Easing congestion in the High Street by lobbying for the upgrade of alternative routes,

* Installing CCTV to reduce anti-social behaviour,

* Pressing for more affordable homes for young people and sheltered homes for the elderly,

* Ensuring Chester City Council provides a better street cleaning service,

* Promoting locally-produced food by holding farmers' markets.

The draft plan will be discussed at the April parish meeting where it is expected to be adopted as policy.

It was developed through focus groups and a questionnaire which revealed the Malpas community was not as sleepy as its image might suggest.

It showed 45% of villagers have lived in the community less than 15 years.

But the findings also revealed that, although a large percentage of the community are relative newcomers, 43% said they would be prepared to get involved in voluntary work. The parish council is keen to tap into this group of people to keep activities and community spirit alive.

The parish plan will be officially launched on May 12 at the Malpas Young Persons' Centre.

david.holmes@cheshirenews.co.uk