Campaigners for safer cycling and pedestrian links in the Wye Valley are worried plans for a shared use path in the area are going to be refused.

Those in favour of the proposed Sustrans cycle and pedestrian path fear Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) will reject the plans on grounds of highway safety and lack of parking.

A spokesperson for Wye Valley Communities for Safe Cycling said: "The ultimate irony is that MCC is considering recommending refusal on grounds of lack of parking in the Tintern area, when the council has recently completed redevelopment of the Lower Wireworks parking area, close to the proposed path.

"There are 40 spaces in this car park.

"While all indicators suggest that most car-borne path users will seek to park in Chepstow, the new parking area can easily accommodate the anticipated parking demand in the Tintern area.

"It lies only 200 metres from the proposed path, on an established cycle route, in a traffic-calmed 30mph zone.

"The path also meets Welsh Assembly Government and MCC policies on promoting sustainability, alternative transport and local tourism."

The path, which would connect Chepstow/ Sedbury with Tintern and Brockweir using the derelict former railway route, was orginally proposed in 2006, when the planning committee's vote to approve was overturned upon judicial review due to failures in the planning process.

That decision was subsequently overturned, yet recent comments from MCC's highways officers suggest that they are about to refuse the plans again.

Christian Lowe, development engineer for MCC highways, in a published document said: "The transport assessment states that the demand for parking at the Tintern Old Station is likely to exceed available spaces.

"This causes concern as the increase in vehicular traffic and lack of provision will inevitably lead to parking in inappropriate locations, to the detriment of highway safety.

"It is suggested that a lack of parking provision at the Old Station warrants promoted use of other car parks in Tintern i.e. Tintern Angiddy Valley car park and Tintern Abbey car park.

"No evidence has been provided as to whether any consultation or agreement has been established with the owners of the car park for their use, and whether there is sufficient capacity to support the additional flow of traffic.

"Also, no consideration has been given to how users are expected to travel to the cycle network from the Angiddy and Tintern Abbey car parks.

"It is also suggested that as a consequence of the lack of parking provision in the Tintern area, users of the cycle trail will be 'strongly encouraged' to use main access points to the route in the Chepstow/ Sedbury area as there is sufficient parking provision.

"This cannot be enforced and although users may be encouraged, there is no guarantee that they will not use Tintern as the main point of access to the footpath/ cycleway."

MCC highways is also concerned that the figures used in the transport assessment do not acurately reflect the potential usage of the route.

The department suggests that the applicant adjust the figures to show the estimated modal split of the path and estimates of peak flow of the trail.

Mr Lowe said: "It is assumed that 50 per cent of users will spend two hours on the trail.

"We would require clarification on this as we would envisage users will be spending longer than two hours on the trail.

"There are concerns that the level of parking will not be able accommodate the overlap of users.

"Unless the applicant can propose a satisfactory solution to overcoming the above highway concerns we would recommend refusal of this application."

For more information on the path, visit wyevalleycycling.org.uk

To express your views on the application, email [email protected]">[email protected] quoting reference DC/2010/00783