SIR,

May I, once again, prevail upon your good nature for a space on your letters page.

I would like to remind those who are concerned about the application to develop the vicarage site in Hillcrest that the final date for objections is, well, there seems to be some confusion.

Notification letters posted to residents only after a complaint that the public notice was attached to the old depot gate (which nobody sees) rather than the vicarage gate, have two different dates on them (7th February and 10th February). The letters state objections must be made within 21 days of these dates despite the fact that they were received several days later.

I am reminded of the opening scene of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy where Arthur Dent, lying in front of the bulldozer about to demolish his house, has the following conversation with the site foreman:-

SF- "But the plans were on display"

AD- "On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them."

SF- "That's the display department."

AD- "With a flashlight."

SF- "Ah, well, the lights had probably gone."

AD- "So had the stairs."

SF- "But look, you found the notice, didn't you?"

AD- "Yes, yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard."

That little satirical gem was written by Douglas Adams way back in 1978 and it seems little has changed in the murky world of planning application in the intervening years.

For those who wish to register a complaint, the application number is DC/2012/00754. If they have access to the internet, go to monmouthshire.gov.uk/planning, click on 'view' and 'comment on planning applications' and then search the above number.

You can also try e-mailing Ann Yearsley at [email protected]">[email protected]. I doubt very much whether a letter would arrive in time as proper notification has been so extraordinarily short despite the application starting as long ago as 11/9/2012.

Incidentally, there has been no reply to my request for information regarding the re-writing of the Local Development Plan. Since Councillor White insists this was the action of the Welsh Government, is it not within the remit of our Assembly Member to investigate this matter on our behalf and, perhaps, shed some light on the Government's entitlement to undertake this course of action?

Chris Williams

(Monmouth)