People living in St Arvans are being urged to join thousands of residents in hundreds of communities who are already using the concept of the Community Led Plan to make changes for the better for themselves and their children. As part of the bottom-up process of developing the plan, adults and young people are invited to attend a public meeting at St Arvans Memorial Hall on 29th May at 7.30pm, where they will have the opportunity to put forward their ideas about how they would like to see St Arvans developing in the future. The meeting will be addressed by Deserie Mansfield from adventa, part of Monmouthshire's Rural Development Plan, who will explain the benefits of community led planning and the unparalleled opportunity which it presents for people to take responsibility for making things happen locally. "Adventa has already assisted a number of communities to develop their ideas into Community Led Plans, which are characterised by the fact that they are not imposed from above, but are initiated and led by local volunteers. The step-by-step process of developing a plan results in a shared long-term vision, which addresses the specific needs of the community and can then be used to influence local area planning decisions, support funding applications and influence service providers," said Deserie. The public meeting in St Arvans is being organised by adventa, at the invitation of the community council, who will be working alongside the community to develop a plan for the long-term sustainability of the village and to look at how it should develop over the next five to 10 years. For more information about the event, contact Deserie Mansfield on 01633 748311, or email DeserieMansfield@ monmouthshire.gov.uk.