PLANS are being formed ahead of an application to build 28 houses on the site of the former Troy Station.

A report has been submitted to Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department prior to the application by WPM Planning & Development on behalf of R D Investments. The group is looking to develop the former storage yard for the station together with car parking, landscaping and associated works and have begun an online consultation process.

The storage use ceased in 1964 following the closure of the Wye Valley and Ross and Monmouth Railways, and the site is now mostly vacant with remains of the disused railway, concrete hardstanding and gas compound.

Access at present is through Troy Gardens, a residential development off Beech Road.

18 of the houses will be four or more bedrooms, with an extra eight flats or maisonettes and two three bed houses earmarked for social rented housing.

R D Investments intend to submit an application for full planning permission for the development in the near future however, in advance of doing so, are providing local residents, community groups, and statutory consultees with an opportunity to provide any comments they may have on the proposals.

At its meeting on Monday 8th January, Monmouth Town Council’s planning committee noted the pre-planning application public consultation by WMP. Planning chairperson Su McConnel said: “It is disappointing that the ‘public consultation’ appears to have consisted of an email to an individual councillor member of this committee. This looks rather like a token gesture. We will act to ensure that residents are alerted to this consultation and encouraged to participate”.

The town council has written notifying community groups, and further resolved to hand deliver letters alerting nearby residents of the consultation process. 

Letters will be delivered alerting nearby households to the consultation process and inviting them to submit their responses which can be made on the link within the consultation document or given to Monmouth Town Council. 

The deadline for responses to WMP is 26th January. The consultation document can be found at goo.gl/1Jj6x2 There is a link within this document for submitting comment.

Councillors will deliver letters to local residents during the day on Tuesday 16th January, and will call round on the evening of 18th January to collect any written responses, in time for the next planning meeting on 22nd January.