SIR,

The controversial plan to develop the Wonastow Road site for hundreds of homes and industrial purposes is as stupid as the proposal in a previous town scheme – to build a road through Chippenham.

The people of Monmouth wouldn't allow that ridiculous idea and the plan was scrapped.

The Wonastow Road floodplain proposal fully deserves the same treatment, as it will throw up a multitude of costly flooding, traffic and other problems.

The town would simply become thrombotic.

This proposed site must represent one of the biggest flood-risk areas in Wales for housing purposes.

No alleviation work has ever managed to tame the massive water flow from White Hill overlooking the site, or from the flooded River Monnow.

This river gets held up where it joins the flooded River Wye and the Monnow waters then back up and spill onto the roads and streets of the lower end of town.

The flooding is also met by huge volumes of water from White Hill.

Homes are flooded with regularity and water gushes up through the drains, taking by surprise hundreds of residents who thought they were out of floods' way.

Alleviation work over the years has done good – nowadays we don't see streets of residents living upstairs for a week or two because of floodwater, but the schemes have also made matters worse in places.

During the last year or so, roads have become impassable to the motor car.

It was a year ago that the whole of the proposed development site, and neighbouring land, was flooded to a depth of several feet in places after just one very heavy downpour.

So consequently, the alleviation holding ponds proposed as part of the scheme are being regarded as a joke by those who live nearby.

And why on earth is the entrance to the site planned from the very narrow Wonastow Road?

This seems daft and there must be an exceptionally good reason why an alternative entrance is not specified.

The county authority may well have the EU and Assembly Government breathing down their necks to press on with housing development, but this site is totally unsuitable and it is irresponsible to proceed with the plan.

And during a time of belt-tightening, it would cost an arm and leg to lay out and administer because of the abundance of problems.

And it could cost millions more for schemes to keep the traffic moving in and around the town, not to mention the need for parking, school places, more services etc.

Make no mistake, if this plan goes through it will affect just about everyone in Monmouth.

You could say that the already choc-a-bloc market town has been spoilt, but this scheme would almost certain make things dramatically worse.

Comments on this scheme have to be in at short notice – 4.30pm on Friday 4th February and sent to the Development Plans Team, Monmouthshire County Council, County Hall, Cwmbran, NP44 2XH or by email on developmentplans@ Monmouthshire.gov.uk

(Name and address supplied)