IT was said to be “deeply disappointing and frustrating” that no-one representing the developers for the Dixton roundabout proposal attended a public meeting on Monday night, (11th, September).

Councillor Su McConnel, who chaired the town council’s planning meeting, did however read out a statement from the consultants to Avenbury Ventures LLP, which outlined their proposals for the scrub land adjacent to the A40.

This was not the first time that the public had the chance to voice their concern on the proposals. The original application in 2013 saw similar disapproval when the applicant sought to include a McDonald’s and a Costa Coffee, but the plans were amended to incorporate just a Marston’s family pub and restaurant and two retail units suitable for ‘bulky goods’, in an out-of-town development.

It was on this amended proposal that members of the public were given an opportunity to voice their opinions. A statement from the Monmouth and District Chamber of Trade and Commerce said the new plans were still a “rehash” and “represent overdevelopment of the site and needless competition for the independent businesses of our town”.

The chamber went on to say that the proposed development clearly fails to meet the requirements of a clause of the Local Development Plan (LDP) which emphasises: “The need to retain local distinctiveness,” adding that the entrance to Monmouth and the Gateway to Wales should not be diluted by yet another “bland retail development”.

It also said that the applicant “seems to have dismissed the Budgens site in the Oldway Centre with 18,000 sq ft, which is more than adequate for the two retail premises proposed”, and pointed out that development on the Wonastow Road mixed use site has five acres of space unallocated and is close to a major housing development.

Phil Robinson of the Gateway to Wales group then spoke and explained to councillors that the data used to support the proposal was out of date and that the flood water proposal will not work.

He added that inadequate public transport would only increase congestion on the busy Dixton Road, made worse by the extra traffic accessing and leaving the site. He said: “We believe this development will seriously damage Monmouth forever” and asked the planning committee to reject the “flawed” application.

Charles Boase spoke on behalf of the Civic Society and said that the design and materials proposed for the site are the “usual boring cladding to be expected from architects who boast of putting up 400 Pets at Home units around the country” and the pub is just an “off-the-peg” design, not respecting the character of the site and its surroundings.

Speaker after speaker continued to criticise the plans, including former councillor Bob Hayward.

Mr Hayward questioned why this was not a new plan, but an amended 2013 plan, and said that the new comprehensive school had to be built of yellow bricks as it was the entrance to the town, yet the proposal is a “new building in wood and two sheds”.

Mark Hand, head of planning for Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) who had been invited to attend by the town council, said it was not unusual for an amended plan to be considered.

He said his colleagues in Highways will go to outside consultants to see if the traffic data is accurate and a retail advisor in the private sector will scrutinise the plans.

Cllr Felicity Cotton summed up the evening’s discussion and remarked that there was overwhelming opposition to the plans and they would be “remiss as a town council not to reflect this”.

The chairwoman, Cllr Su McConnel proposed to refuse the plans on the basis of lack of sufficient information and requested that MCC put back the decision on the application until November so that further data on ecology, traffic and pollution and the impact on the environment and employment could be submitted. The proposal was unanimously accepted by councillors.