Looe’s residents would like to see their town retain its image as a traditional working harbour – but say improvements in shopping and parking are needed for a better quality of life.

Almost 500 responses to Neighbourhood Plan surveys have been analysed by the steering group.

The town’s adult population is 4,300.

Among the questions posed was ‘What do you think are the most important benefits the Neighbourhood Plan should bring to Looe?’

Respondents rated flood avoidance, protection of local identity and heritage, and protection of green spaces as their top three priorities, with jobs, medical and care facilities and investment in roads and transport high on the list.

With only 16 per cent of respondents doing their weekly grocery shopping in Looe, people stated additional shopping and parking facilities would make the town a better place to live.

To ‘How would you like Looe to be described in the future?’ the most popular responses were ‘a working harbour’, ‘traditional’, ‘a leisure harbour’, and ‘a tourism destination’.

The least popular were ‘modern’, ‘a commuter centre’, and ‘a retirement destination’.

Affordable homes for local young people, improvements for pedestrians in Fore Street, and the redevelopment of the Polean site in West Looe were all rated as important by respondents.