A consultation on the first stage of a planning document for Aberdeenshire is to come to an end.

The local authority has said members of the public will have until the end of January to comment on the Main Issues Report which deals with the future development of the area.

The Main Issues Report is part of the area's wider Local Development Plan (LDP).

The Aberdeenshire LDP 2016 will be a planning blueprint for the future of the region and will include policies and proposals to determine where new development such as housing and offices will be built from 2017 until 2027.

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The report is designed to encourage discussion and debate on which policy and development options should be included in the Proposed Local Development Plan, which will be produced for a final period of comment in Autumn 2014.

Head of Planning and Building Standards, Robert Gray, said: "It is now vital that local communities and anyone with an interest in the future development of Aberdeenshire send us their comments, as we can only take account of views submitted to us in writing.

"We have already received numerous comments but expect to receive many more over the next few weeks as we approach the deadline."

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council's Infrastructure Services Committee, Peter Argyle, added: "The council will listen to what people have to say and take it into account in the formation of the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan 2016. We want this to be a document which reflects the views of local communities."

(JP/MH)