MONMOUTH’S Gateway Project could be ‘reborn’, as a group look set to apply for National Lottery funding to secure the development’s future.

The structure, potentially combining toilets, a cafe, tourist information and coach shelter, was approved planning permission but in October 2015 the plans were put on hold due to financial limitations.

The European Rural Development Programme gave Monmouthshire County Council a grant of £200k to carry out a feasibility study for the development between Blestium Street and the river. Funding is now being sought elsewhere for a flood consequences assessment so that the council can submit a further planning application to continue with the project.

Monmouth Partnership Forum are now set to apply for National Lottery ‘Creating your Space’ funding, which, if successful, could give the project £20,000 for development work. If successful in the first stage, the project could be eligible for Capital Funding, which could fund the rest of the project in its entirety.

The meeting heard that the majority of the work has been done with regard to the development, and the £2 million project had plans drawn up by landscape architect team Macgregor Smith, included a shared space for pedestrians and traffic across the corner of Monnow street and Blestium Street.

The meeting heard that the group didn’t want to “re-invent the wheel”, but that the development could need some fine-tuning at a later stage.

The forum, at a meeting on Thursday (25th February), decided to take the “leap of faith”, taking the application forwards, with Haydn Cullen-Jones acting as ‘bid leader’ on behalf of the group. The deadline for the Stage One development is the end of March.