Sir,

The tourism industry is a valuable part of the Welsh economy and this should be true locally as well as nationally. Here in Monmouth we have no Downton-sized stately home to draw in visitors but we do have one matchless asset: the River Wye.

Last September I took part in The Wye Women's 100-mile canoe trip on the Wye, raising £6,000 in aid of St David's Hospice Foundation. This would not have been possible without the generosity of Grahame and Sue Symonds of Monmouth Canoe Centre. They provided canoes, safety equipment and the training needed to turn nine nervous novices into an experienced canoe team.

With the current emphasis on the sporting legacy of London 2012, why has Monmouthshire County Council turned down their planning permission application for a new training centre to expand this already successful river business?

If the 'regeneration, environment and resources directorate' at County Hall means what it says on the tin, it should be directing the planning office to re-think its decision.

Monmouth's canoe centre is an important resource for our local tourism.

Janet Price

(Llanishen)