People are to have more time to consider the Devizes Neighbourhood plan, following a discovery by Wiltshire Council that it had not sent out all the paperwork to interested groups.

The new deadline for consultation on the plan, which sets out where houses should be built in the town and surrounding villages until 2026, is now 5pm on Thursday, November 27, instead of October 16.

Wiltshire Council extended the deadline after finding vital appendices had not been attached to plans sent out.

The plan lists more than 30 sites, how many homes could be built on each, any constraints and whether the schemes are achievable in five or ten years.

It was produced by Devizes town, Roundway and Bishops Cannings parish councils.

The last round of consultation showed, of responses received, people were overwh- elmingly in favour of building homes on brownfield sites rather than greenfield ones such as the proposal for 350 homes by Coate Bridge.

A decision on an appeal against the refusal of the Coate Bridge scheme by Wiltshire Council is expected any day.

Under revised proposals put forward by Wiltshire Council for its Core Strategy, the housing allocation for Devizes will increase by 280, to 2,010 by 2026.

Much of that has been built or provided for, but land still has to be found for 412 homes.

Simon Fisher, clerk to the Neighbourhood Plan steering group, said: “The Neighbour-hood Plan identifies 11 sites that will deliver 241 homes over five years and a further nine sites that will deliver 233 houses over 12 years; altogether 474 homes.”

He said the further the Neighbourhood Plan got along its route towards being approved the easier it would be to stop unwanted applications from gaining approval.

In a statement, Wiltshire Council said of the delay to the deadline: “It has been brought to our attention that the appendices to the plan proposal were not made available.

“In light of this, and to make sure that no one has been left disadvantaged, the consultation period has been extended.

“Following this consultation, the comments received will be passed to an independent examiner, to be appointed by the council, who will consider the representations and determine if the plan should be put to a community referendum.”