IT'S no surprise that residents of Sedbury are unhappy about the prospect of new housing development on their doorsteps.
But good development planning should look at the area as a whole, irrespective of the administrative boundaries which divide it. Sedbury and Tutshill function, in effect, as suburban extensions of Chepstow – a town which needs economic investment in its centre and in its transport system, which is recognised by the Welsh Assembly as a "key settlement", and where the only alternative greenfield sites for development are close to the motorway and distant from the town centre.
If the local councils on both sides of the border do already work together to address the future development and transport needs of Chepstow and its surrounding area, I'd be very surprised to hear it. But they, together with the Welsh Assembly and the regional bodies in South West England, need to do so, and think about drawing up a fully integrated and workable plan for the area as a whole. – Guy Hamilton, Chepstow.