As the famous quote from Kenneth Wolstenholme’s BBC TV commentary in the closing moments of the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final, when England beat West Germany 4-2, went: "They think it’s all over! It is now!"

Except on Tuesday Geoff Hurst’s part was played by Monmouthshire County Council members who voted unanimously to reject the bulky good retail units and pub and restaurant at the overgrown site on the Dixton Road that has been the subject of much conjecture, many planning applications and much anguish.It saw a movement born out of the threat of a litter-strewn busy access road, when the Gateway to Wales Action Group protested and took up the fight to stop the 2013 application of a fast-food restaurant, drive-thru coffee shop, bulky goods retail units and a Marstons pub and restaurant.Avenbury Ventures LLP, who offered us the controversial plans that promised so much for the town with 55 jobs and an out-of-town shopping experience, were nowhere to be seen at the Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) planning meeting on Tuesday 6th August and it gave opponents to the scheme a clear shot at goal with even the ref, the MCC planning officer who recommended refusal, on their side.Planning officers had three main problems with the admittedly slimmed-down plan.Gone was the fast food restaurant, the brush that tarnished the whole plan with a stain that was difficult to shake off.But they still recommended rejection on three grounds: Flood risk, economic detriment to the town from the two bulky goods units and excessive lighting impact.Natural Resources Wales, the organisation that the Welsh Assembly puts so much trust in, was simply not happy with the whole site and said not only was the flood data Avenbury used out of date but; “The proposal fails to demonstrate that the risks and consequences of flooding can be managed to an acceptable level”.This was probably the most damning comment on the application and Avenbury must have surely realised that without the backing of such an influential body, their plans were sunk.The site had a long history of applications - approved and refused - stretching back 30 years after the Victorian house that originally occupied the site was demolished.But with the modern approach to planning sites that see so many fail today (Hadnock Road and Troy) where the emphasis is on the impact on the environment and the flooding possibilities calculated on a one in 1,000 year event, it was difficult to see how the site could have been engineered to have sustained such long-term use.Councillor Richard Roden spoke on behalf of a town council who had seen the present plans change and evolve over the last seven years and said that they should be encouraging visitors to enter Monmouth to experience the unique blend of shopping, the historical sites and tea rooms, restaurants and pubs that the town offers. “The building of a prominent public house and retail park at the entrance to the town would work against this, keeping visitors away from a town that is a delight to visit and in need of more footfall”.David Cummings, chair of the town’s chamber of trade said that as the operators of the bulk goods retail warehouses are not identified “how can we quantify its affect on our town’s businesses?“Confidence in the retail sector is fragile with currently 20 empty retail premises in Monmouth,” he added.This concurred with MCC’s own retail consultant who said that the retail units would have a “detrimental affect on the retail shops in town, although they felt the pub would not have any great impact on the established pubs in town.This leaves two options for the site owners; leave it and sell, or amend the plans, yet again! As the planing officer said, MCC’s consultant had no problem with a pub on the site.