The people of Penryn and their local councillors moved a step closer to more control for local planning this week after an application to register the Neighbourhood Plan boundaries was approved.

Cornwall Council decided no public consultation was needed for an application to set the area covered by the plan, knocking six weeks from the process.

Town clerk Michelle Davey was informed of the decision in an email from the council on Wednesday (12/10) notifying her that the designation request to set the boundaries along the same lines as the parish boundary had been approved.

Emma Ball, neighbourhood planning officer at the council, told Ms Davey: "From 1st October 2016, designation requests for neighbourhood areas covering the whole parish no longer need to include a six week consultation period and a decision can be made by the local authority."

The creation of a neighbourhood plan would eventually allow the Penryn to grant either full or outline planning permission for the types of development they want to see, and state where they would like to see it.

On average the development of a plan takes around two years from setting the boundary to its adoption, which would require a referendum in the town, and Ms Davey said at this point in time "there is no reason to assume it will be any different for Penryn."

Asked if the possibility of boundary changes which are being considered by the government could affect the plan, she said: "The current regulations for amending an adopted neighbourhood plan are cumbersome and as I understand it, would require another referendum, however, the government is currently consulting on new regulations to streamline the process."