A LOCAL authority is consulting on plans to further promote market towns as service centres.

Proposals would see Herefordshire Council strengthen the links between the county’s market towns and their rural hinterland.

The plans are contained in the council’s Shaping Our Place 2026 consultation, which runs until 12 March.

Thousands of residents are expected to participate in the consultation.

It aims to improve life for communities and businesses by creating better job prospects, more affordable homes and better transport links.

In doing so, they will help finalise the local development framework – the blueprint for planning and developing Herefordshire.

Councillor John Jarvis, cabinet member for environment and strategic housing, said the council wanted to help create a land of opportunity for all communities.

But he added: “It will be up to local people to help grow the right future for the county, the city and the market towns.”

Under the plans, several villages could see development designed to increase affordable housing and sustain essential services.

Improvements would include better schools, new shops and improve rural transport.

Other options under consideration would promote extended employment land and more enterprise centres.

The hope is this would help create new jobs, particularly in the creative industries and environmental technologies, to boost the economic viability of villages.

People’s views will be analysed and proposed policies developed and presented back to the council’s cabinet later in 2010.

They will then be submitted to the government ahead of a public examination and inspector’s report with final adoption anticipated in 2011.