DISCUSSIONS took place on Wednesday 11th December to find ways of boosting tourism and creating a sense of place in Chepstow.

It was agreed at the Lower Wye Committee that despite the vast number of things going on in Chepstow, the sense of community is fragmented.

It was suggested by Kellie Beirne, chief officer for regeneration and culture for Monmouthshire County Council (MCC), that a whole place plan should be put in place for Chepstow.

She said: "After doing some research on Chepstow it is clear there are tons of things going on but they're not coherent, the activities don't tell a story of place.

"What is the unique sense of place about Chepstow? How do we get more people to come to Chepstow?

"The whole place plan is about a connected approach to awareness of place. We don't always see the impact of things on a place level. The plan has a huge opportunity to bring together different areas of the community.

"What we've learnt from previous engagement exercises is that people want accessible 24/7 services, a one size fits all approach would be an issue for Chepstow.

"Every place needs strategy and vision, it's not just about physical appearance. We need a plan that sees us over the long term.

"Plans have been shaped by different groups and we need increased engagement with the public, it has to be a co-owned plan, it won't be for us to dictate how Chepstow should be viewed. It needs to come from the ground up.

"We need to decide what the bigger picture for Chepstow will be. Fragmentation in a vacuum is dangerous."

It was agreed that the Lower Wye committee should organise another meeting to discuss commissioning the plan.

A whole place plan for Bryn y Cwm, Abergavenny, was commissioned in September 2012 by Monmouthshire County Council (MCC).