A HOUSING explosion is set to hit communities in Chepstow, Monmouth and the rural Wye Valley after the overwhelming majority of development plans were approved after a marathon 13 hour council sitting.

The historic 13 and a half hour session, believed to be the longest meeting on record, saw Monmouthshire County Council approving sites for 4,000 new homes, as directed by the Welsh Government.

The plan will see:

•240 homes plus an employment area on the controversial 19 hectare Mabey Bridge site in Chepstow

•405 new houses in Monmouth and Wyesham

•200 houses in Undy/Magor

•250 homes at Crick Road, Portskewett

•90 homes in Wye Valley plots from Mathern to Penallt

All but one of the sites earmarked for development in what's known as the local development plan (LDP) was adopted by the council, despite pleas from local pressure groups, individuals and local members concerned over the proposed development in their communities.

More than 100 protesters packed the public gallery, with a few being able to give their passionate views on local sites.

Cllr Bob Greenland said: "This is a most important meeting as we are at a very important stage in our vision for the next 10 years and beyond.

"Our aim is not to preserve the past, but to prepare for the future as the Welsh Government has told us that we have to allocate sites for building development.

"This is the culmination of Monmouthshire's plans for the future that will go out to public consultation over the coming weeks. This is when the public can suggest alternative sites."

One first, however, is the designation of the area between Chepstow and Pwllmeyric as green belt land, the first in Monmouthshire and only the second in Wales. The specific aim being to prevent any development taking place in this strip.

Cllr Phyl Hobson said: "This green belt decision will effectively close Chepstow to any expansion and hamper the prospects of the town in the long term."

As the debate unfolded every councillor, except for two, spoke out against the proposed development in their individual wards, but each plea was overturned by the council. Members spoke about having the right mix of affordable homes and those selling on the open market.

Cllr Peter Fox said: "Affordable housing is very important to this county as the demographic shows that at the present time that young people have to move away because they can't afford to live here. Our talent needs to stay in Monmouthshire, and the good thing is we are proposing different levels of affordable housing."

Councillor Roger Harris: "We've heard that many of our villages could be dying and this LDP gives us the opportunity of breathing life back into them."

But Cllr Simon Howarth pointed out that the 60/40 split in favour of affordable housing would be unattractive to many developers and would leave many sites undeveloped.

The officers were told that they had overlooked allocating space for cemeteries in the LDP.

Cllr Anthony Easson added: "Nowhere in this document has there been made mention of land for burial spaces. As an authority we need burial spaces badly and there is no allocation in this draft plan for this. I suggest that cemeteries need to be included in the final LDP."

Cllr Giles Howard agreed and added: "We don't have a legal duty to provide burial space, but maybe we have a moral duty to do so."

Cllr Bob Hayward added: "With the proposed increase in population in all these areas we should also be allocating additional land for use as allotments in these communities."

Cllr Easson added: "While we are at it, this report is lacking in the provision of gypsy sites. We've failed in the past to provide sites for this community and we have only one official site and that is in Portskewett."

•Portskewett

No more than 250 homes will be built on the 9.6 hectares site at Crick Road.

Cllr Peter Fox pointed out that Portskewett is a rural village, adding: "Despite its location next to Caldicot, Portskewett is a completely separate community.

"The addition of so many houses raises safety issues for walking in around the area with so many extra vehicles. It will be problematic getting to Caldicot leaving people with only one option but to jump in their cars.

"The decision to allocate housing on this site removes the opportunity of using it for employment.

"However, to remove this scheme from the plan requires an alternative site and I don't have the answer, but I do know we desperately need employment in this area."  

•Monmouth

The town has two major sites listed in the LDP. Up to 370 dwellings are scheduled to be built on land at Wonastow Road and an additional 35 houses in Wyesham.

Archaeologist Steve Clarke told members that the problem with the Wonastow Road site was that it regularly floods and that the development would be built on the alluvium level, material deposited on the ground that has built up from the effects of flooding over centuries.

Cllr Sue White said: "The residents of Monmouth who recall the great floods of the town are amazed that the site is even being considered for development. The floods are not from the local rivers, but from run-off from the nearby hills."

Cllr David Dovey added: "The flood water was evident when I visited the site and it hadn't even been bad weather at the time."

Cllr Liz Hacket-Pain told members that Wyesham had evolved over the past 50 years, adding: "The area has already been subjected to a substantial development, but an additional site that is not entirely suitable is a bad decision. Our main problem is access into and out of the estate as it is one road in and the same road out, combined with the problems of traffic on the Wye Bridge coming down from the Forest of Dean."

The members were shown a number of alternative development sites in and around Monmouth including using the Vauxhall Fields and cutting a swath down from the Royal Oak on the Hereford Road to Dixton Road, from would be developers, but the council chose not to be swayed by these suggestions at this stage.

•Chepstow

The main development proposed is the current Mabey Bridge site beyond Chepstow Station which has been earmarked for 240 dwellings and an employment area.

Peter Lloyd, chairman of Mabey Bridge, said: "I have been with the company for 27 years and the future of this site has always been thought of as residential.

"The bridge business is a difficult market and we need to have this site developed to fund our move to Newhouse and by the company moving it will remove the need of our vehicles to clog up the town."

Cllr David Dovey said: "This is as good an example you can get to get Chepstow to move with the times."

But traffic issues associated with the additional 240 homes concerned many members.

Cllr Phyl Hobson said: "I've no doubt this would be a fantastic site but we only have one trunk road and with 1,500 traffic movements daily, we already have poor air quality in this area."

Cllr Graham Down added that there was no joined up thinking between local authorities, adding: "There is already a problem with the A48, add to that the addition of the Mabey site and the developments planned by the Forest of Dean council in adopting their LDP adding additional traffic to the road network heading for the Severn Bridge, Chepstow will become gridlocked and a by-pass will be needed."

Cllr Peter Fox added: "Chepstow having a bypass is a complete myth. It will take 100 years for the two authorities in neighbouring countries to resolve this problem. We need to get real and face facts, traffic is a big problem now in Chepstow and its only going to get worse."

•Magor/Undy

Up to 200 houses have been allocated for the site at Rockfield Farm in Undy, which also has provision for employment provision.

•Devauden

A maximum of 15 dwellings have been earmarked for development on land at Well Lane.

•Llandogo

Trellech United Community Councillor Ashley Thomas told members that if they allowed this development to go ahead that it would significantly expand the village boundary away from its centre. He added that this would then open up the field behind the proposed land for 15 dwellings to additional significant development.

•LLanishen

This Wye Valley village looks set for two developments of five houses each. Land behind the Carpenters Arms has been earmarked for development along with land in Church Road.

•Mathern

The LDP proposes a development of 15 houses to be built on land west of the village.

•Penallt

An area south west of the village has been suggested for use for the development of up to 10 houses.

•Pwllmeyric

The Hill Farm site has been earmarked for residential development of up to 15 dwellings.

•Shirenewton

Two developments either side of the minor road that runs through the village has been allocated for housing. Both sites will have up to five houses built on each plot.

•Trellech

Land adjacent to Trellech Primary School has been allocated for development of 15 houses on condition that access is obtained from the B2493, and that car parking is made available for school visitors.

Any developer taking on this site will be asked to provide a footpath leading into the village centre.

Communities with alternative suggestions for allocating development sites in their area will have the opportunity to submit them at the end of the six week consultation process of the Local Development Plan.