THE PROSPECT of Monmouth having an additional 800 homes has angered local residents and politicians alike.

 At a public meeting on the Rockfield Estate in held at the end of last week, representatives from the local authority's planning department told the gathering of almost 80 people, that all the towns in the county were facing huge developments on their doorstep.

George Ashworth, Monmouthshire's head of planning, outlined the authority's problem, saying the mass development was a Welsh Assembly Government initiative following a directive from Westminster.

He said: "There will be opportunities within Monmouth for 400 houses itself through infill and natural increase, including a small development on the Wyesham Infants School and Tudor Road sites.

"That leaves us with a shortfall of 400 houses to be found on the outskirts of town.

"But the difficulty we face as planners for the Wonastow Road site, the area we have recommended for members that it is the 'least bad' site available to us that we feel we can develop within Monmouth town."

Michael Jones told the planners: "There is no evidence to justify that the flooding issue for the Wonastow Road site has been addressed. This is the big problem about this site where you plan on putting 400 new homes.

"The flooding is not from any river or stream, it's the water that runs off from the nearby hills.

"The development would push water down into the town and in a report I have obtained, it states that it could not safeguard Wonastow Road from flooding, a situation we saw as recently as this time last year."

 Other residents pointed out that children, who have grown up in Monmouth have to move away because of the prohibitive cost of local housing and that this site should have affordable housing aimed at keeping families together in the same town. 

Jeffrey Copcutt added: "If we had affordable housing we'd get people coming in from other parts and take no part in being part of the community or the town itself.

Former town mayor Sylvia Gilbert pointed out: "The infrastructure and facilities should be improved before people even move in and not afterwards. However I feel that Overmonnow has already been overdeveloped and will place an additional burden on the local primary school which is already at capacity."

Monmouth MP David Davies, from the audience, added: "The message seems to be that the flooding issue needs to be looked at in detail.  If we are going to have affordable homes we need to make sure they go to local people so that our sons and daughters can have homes in this area and not people coming in from outside, because that has been a problem in the past".

Town Councillor Bob Hayward concluded: "On a slightly wider issue, a major problem happening now is that people cannot park their cars in town, especially on a Saturday. The local development plan is not just about housing it's everything, and nothing has been mentioned about the lack of parking spaces.

"The town's businesses rely very much on tourism and visitors to Monmouth are driving up and down Monnow Street, looking at the full car parks and then driving off to Ross-on-Wye and other local destinations.

 "But with the 800 extra houses due to be built here, and in my estimation that's an influx of some 900 cars, who will want to park in the town? This will drive tourism and with it the lifeblood out of Monmouth."