SIR,

Letters have appeared across the Monmouthshire press deploring the voting tactics of many conservative counsellors, voting through the deposit stage of the Local Development Plan as a group, while ensuring they voted and protested strongly in their own backyard.

Politics before policy.

This just gives weight to the fact that in many cases, the sites chosen were those of very dubious, marginal suitability, to put it mildly, and were strongly opposed by local people, with local knowledge.

This knowledge is often dismissed as anecdotal, and such has been the case for those Rockfield and Overmonnow occasions of flooding over the last few years.

Can I suggest that such instances need to be logged, and please would those people affected in such cases communicate their experiences to myself via email on [email protected]">[email protected]

In this way, a proper portfolio of evidence can be assembled, which may prove very useful evidence, as this juggernaut of a plan rolls on to a tribunal stage, and more of Monmouth's green wetlands are lined up for development.

Michael Jones

(Monmouth)