SERIOUS concerns have been raised over a further housing development planned for Sudbrook.

A proposal to build 46 homes has been re-submitted and will go before the planning committee at Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) next Tuesday (4th August).

The homes, which include five affordable houses, will be built on a brownfield site known locally as the Old Shipyard, which is situated at the end of Sudbrook Road.

The application for the 46 homes in the village was deferred by MCC’s planning committee in October 2012 pending the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement.

The housing site, which has been recommended for approval, will now include a maintained open space and riverside walk.

Developers, St Maurs Estate Ltd, will pay MCC £70,000 for the maintenance of these areas. Under the agreement, the developer will install a play area and subsequently pay £17,500 to MCC to enhance other local play areas in the community.

A financial contribution of £1,500 per house will also be paid towards improvements of the highway network and infrastructure.

This will include improvements to pedestrian facilities traffic calming measures in the area.

The Old Shipyard, which measures just under a hectare, has been used in the past for a variety of industrial and waste management uses.

According to the planning report the buildings at the site are in varying states of repair and the site has a dilapidated appearance.

The houses will be a variety of one, two, three and four bedrooms within a mix of two storey and 2.5 storey houses.

Portskewett Community Council has recommended the plans for refusal. Councillors raised concerns over the road into Sudbrook, stating it was clearly inadequate to take any extra traffic on an already congested road.

Portskewett Community Councillor Tony Griffiths said: “The plans will increase traffic on the road.

“We already have a huge problem with access over the old railway bridge and more houses will make it busier.”

Serious concerns have been raised recently over the impact of too many houses in the area.

Caldicot Town Council recommended a 200 home development at the old Paper Mill in Sudbrook (pictured) for refusal two months ago stating the infrastructure was unsuitable and will have a negative impact on services in the area.

Councillor Peter Fox, leader of MCC and councillor for Portskewett Community Council, has spoken out against both developments.

He said: “Whilst I acknowledge sites like the Old Shipyard have to be developed at some point I remain very concerned about this particular site due to the constraints of the current highway infrastructure and the narrowness of the carriageway of Sudbrook Road to enable the construction of this site and if built how the poor access can support the additional traffic that will result.

“Sudbrook road is extremely narrow exacerbated by on-street parking. I am also concerned about these additional traffic movements affecting highway safety especially where children have to cross to access the village’s play area.

“There is also very constrained access for emergency vehicles.

“There are also proposals in the village for more than 200 new houses to be built on the old Paper Mill site. Sudbrook village is set to double in size!

“I personally think this is far too much development in such a small community. However, I and others lost that battle during the creation of the Local Development Plan.

“It must be remembered that Sudbrook is accessed from Portskewett by one small, traffic controlled, single lane bridge.

“I still firmly believe that the infrastructure in the villages of Sudbrook and Portskewett is not adequate to support the proposed level of development in Sudbrook

“Consultants may say it can all work but I have serious doubts and I think I’ll be proved right.”