Residents, local businesses and visitors to Welwyn Hatfield have two weeks left to have their say on how the borough will be developed over the next 15 years.

And the council today warned that unless feedback is received via the online planning portal, or in writing to the planning policy team, it won't count.

In a news release, mailed to this site, the authority says the public consultation on the council's Core Strategy - issues and options closes at 16:45 on Friday 1 May.

Welwyn Hatfield says more than 1,000 people attended the public meetings throughout the borough and there has been some "interesting feedback".

However, Councillor Mandy Perkins, Executive Member for Planning and Environmental Health, says signing in at an event and talking about the issues is not strong enough feedback to count.

"We are not able to take into account a name on a register, verbal feedback, letters to the press, or comments on external forums when we start putting together proposals," she said.

"The council needs to receive tangible comment via the online planning portal, or in writing to the planning policy team."

Welwyn Hatfield says no decisions have yet been made about the future development of Welwyn Hatfield, and that the next stage of planning will be to consider responses made by the public to the consultation and the findings of technical work.

After that, the most suitable options will be chosen and further consultation will take place in 2010.

According to the authority, the East of England Plan allocated Welwyn Hatfield a minimum of 10,000 dwellings from 2001 to 2021. The plan requires a strategic review of the green belt to allow for growth to at least 2031.

Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield are allocated as key centres for development and change and are to provide the conditions for substantial employment growth.

The council says all documents are available to view and for comment at all local libraries, Hatfield housing office, council offices in Welwyn Garden City, town and parish council offices and Essendon Primary School. They are also available at the online planning portal

For more information you can call the planning office on: 01707-357532.

You can also discuss local housing in a discussion thread running in this site's forum.

9 April 2009