AS the decision regarding potentially £1.15 million worth of funding for the Chepstow Drill Hall edges closer, plans for its potential upgrade will come before Monmouthshire County Council.

The Big Lottery Fund will announce the winners of the Community Asset Transfer 2 Programme (CAT2), which the Chepstow Drill Hall has applied for, on Thursday 15th February.

If it is successful it could be awarded up to £1.15 million to transfer the hall into community ownership and upgrade it.

The application for the changes will come before the planning committee next week (6th February) and it is recommended for approval.

The application details the internal rearrangement of the hall and the external extension to create around 130 extra square meters which is mostly to provide additional functional space such as toilet facilities, a new reception area and circulation space.

There are some objections to the plans, most which centre around the detrimental effect they may have on the car park and the residents who currently use the car park for residential parking.

MCC car parking also raised concerns about the plan saying the council can ill afford to lose any of the existing parking.

However while these concerns are acknowledged in the planning committee’s report, it concludes “inappropriate use of the current car parking provision is not a sound reason to withhold consent for the enhancement of this community facility”, identifying more than 700 spaces in the Castle, Nelson Street, Welsh Street and the Station Road car parks as alternatives.