Residents will be able to view in real time a broadcast of St Albans City and District Council’s Local Plan examination hearings.

The hearings start on Tuesday, January 21, and will be transmitted by a webcast on the council's website.

They are scheduled to run from then until Thursday, January 23, from Tuesday to Thursday, February 4 to 6, and Tuesday to Thursday, February 11 to 13.

The Local Plan for the district identifies land for large-scale future housing, commercial and infrastructure development as well as environmental protection.

Councillor Jamie Day, portfolio holder for planning, said: "The Local Plan is one of the most important tasks the council undertakes with the examination hearing putting it in the spotlight.

"I urge anyone who is interested in the future shape of the district to take a look at the webcast and see the rigorous scrutiny that the plan is subjected to.

"We are very hopeful that our plan will meet the high standards set and that we will be able to adopt it later this year.

"That will be a major turning point for the council after many years of striving to produce a credible plan. We will then be in a position to help deliver thousands of much-needed homes in the district as well as the infrastructure, such as new schools and roads, that will be needed to sustain our new communities."

The examination, which is open to the public, is an important part of the Local Plan process and will be held at the council chamber in the Civic Centre, St Peter's Street.

Each session will have a theme with, for example, the Green Belt is likely to be discussed on Thursday, January 23.

Organisations and individuals who have submitted representations during the consultation stage can speak if they have requested to do so and the inspectors allow it.

The draft was drawn up by the council after extensive consultation with residents, community groups, businesses and neighbouring local authorities.

The draft Local Plan covers 2020 to 2036 and conforms to a government standard that 913 new homes a year - 14,608 in total - should be built during that period.

Eleven sites in the Green Belt to provide some of the new homes and employment centres have been put forward.