A MASSIVE review of the profile of a Ryedale market town is set to discover what the future has in store for the people who live and work there.

Pickering Town Council is spearheading a comprehensive consultation period, with the aim of asking everyone in the community what they see as the way forward.

Town clerk Andrew Husband said the project would be the largest consultation which had ever taken place, and would result in a Pickering Town Plan to take residents into the future.

"The aim is to come up with the Pickering community's view on its needs and aspirations," he said.

"This will be a comprehensive view covering all aspects of town life, such as recreation and leisure, housing needs, the development of the local economy and so on.

"It's trying to open up a window on what the town might be like in the next ten years and beyond."

The focus would first be on groups within the town, such as nurseries and children's day care providers, for a general overview.

Questionnaires would then be delivered to every household in Pickering.

Mr Husband said the council hoped the plan would generate a vast amount of useful information, which could then be accessed by all sections of the community.

"If we are talking about recreation and leisure needs as perceived by the different age groups within the community then the evidence will be there," he explained.

"If you want funding for something you have got to show the evidence is there. As long as this is going to be a comprehensive service it will be a buttress which someone will be able to use to support their argument."

Pickering town mayor Natalie Warriner said the council was fulfilling a promise to come up with a forward plan which aimed to cater for everyones needs. "This is a real opportunity for the community to have an input into the future of Pickering," she said.

"Its a blank page now, we have no preconceived ideas whatsoever.

"At the end of the day it depends what the community wants - I would like to say lets see what they come up with.

She added: "We are looking at five or ten years down the line, so let's get it right. The whole objective is to make Pickering a nice and safe place for everyone to live in."

Updated: 08:42 Monday, September 23, 2002