Cattle market move gets go-ahead

Thousands objected to plans for the old site including a supermarket

Plans to move the only livestock market in Monmouthshire to a new site 10 miles (16km) away have been approved.

A replacement for the cattle market in Abergavenny town centre will be built in Bryngwyn, Raglan, following the decision by Monmouthshire Council.

A councillor said the scheme was a step towards providing a "21st Century" market for the county's farmers.

Campaigners have objected to the sale of the old mart for development to fund the £5m-plus cost of the new one.

Cllr Bob Greenland, cabinet member for regeneration services and chair of the Abergavenny Regeneration Project, said of Tuesday's decision: "It takes us a step further in providing a modern 21st Century market for the farmers of the county.

"It then enables the regeneration of the town centre in Abergavenny, where the existing market is, to move a step forward."

In June, a public meeting was held in Llanarth where villagers against plans to bring the cattle market to Bryngwyn raised safety concerns because there had been an outbreak of botulism nearby several years earlier.

At the time, Monmouthshire Council said it would be seeking assurance there were no safety issues.

The site at High Hope Farm, Bryngwyn, which is 1.5 miles (2.4km) from Raglan was among three possible locations that had been considered, the alternatives being Little Castle Farm near Raglan Castle and Westgate Farm in Llanfoist.