ALTRINCHAM businesses are being urged to take part in a poll that will help shape the future of the town.

Trafford Council is holding two referendums on October 19 on plans for the town centre following development of the Altrincham Town Centre Working Plan - one for residents and one for the town's 550 businesses.

While residents on the electoral roll who live within the plan boundary will automatically get a vote, businesses have to register within the next two weeks to take part.

Tony Collier, the chairman of the Altrincham Neighbourhood Forum, said it is important that they do so and participate.

Tony, an influential figure in drafting the Town Centre Working Plan as a member of the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group, said: "Each business in the plan area has received from Trafford MBC an invitation to register.

"They must register by October 4 to have a vote in this essential piece of work in the re-generation of Altrincham town centre."

The area the plan covers includes tightening the boundary of the shopping quarter and attracting more people to live in the town centre and use its services by allocating several sites for new housing and encouraging the conversion of vacant and under used space for homes.

The plan also calls for co-ordinated user friendly car parking policies (including signage, charging, payment systems etc) across the town centre; more high quality development; to support the resurgence of the market and safeguard community facilities and support the development of the digital infrastructure in the town centre.

Messenger reported last month that the Neighbourhood Plan Working Group was angry that the council has refused to widen the electoral boundary for the referendum beyond residents who live within the town centre boundary - about 2,500 residents.

The group had wanted it to include many more people who use the town centre from the WA14 and WA15 postcodes.