Time is running out for residents to have their say over the future of where they live.

Members of the public have until Sunday (September 8) to comment on Medway Council’s Local Plan.

The eight-week consultation began on July 15 and asks for opinions on the plan which will steer the development of the Towns for the next 15 years.

The last Local Plan was put in place in 2003 and was supposed to be be renewed in 2018, but the council failed to put a fresh version forward.

At the local elections in May last year, the Labour group said it was one of their key priorities to get a new Local Plan in place as it would prevent predatory development.

The proposals cover housing and infrastructure but the blueprint also includes plans around protecting the environment, bolstering employment and aiding wellbeing.

There are currently three broad options for development on the table: option 1 focusing on urban regeneration; option 2 focusing on dispersed growth; and option 3, a blended strategy looking firstly at urban regeneration and brownfield sites but also at some greenfield sites.

Local plans set out development priorities for an area, including which locations should be assigned for building homes to meet the government targets.

However the Local Plan is not just about housing, but also sets out how to manage infrastructure, business areas, as well as historic and cultural sites.

It also looks at ways to boost jobs, education and infrastructure in a sustainable way for the future with the hopes that more people will use public transport instead of their own vehicles.

The regulation 18 consultation closes on Sunday (September 8) following which a final draft version will be prepared and published - it will then submitted for independent examination and eventually adopted.

The authority has predicted the Local Plan will be implemented in 2026.

More information about the local plan can be found on the council’s website here.

Residents can collect printed versions of the consultation documents at any Medway library, but responses must be given online.