PLANS to build a discount food store on a business park on the outskirts of Caldicot have been rejected by councillors.

Among the objectors was telecoms giant Mitel Networks which has an international headquarters on the Castlegate business park and who feared the image of the area could be damaged by the presence of a discount retailer.

The company also told Monmouthshire County Council that it had suspended investment in the Caldicot site – which employs 240 people and has 50 visits a day – until the application was resolved.

There is currently no operator named for the proposed store, although Asda – which is building a store close to the town centre – has speculated it would be either Lidl or Aldi.

There were also objections from Caldicot Town Council and the Caldicot Town Team who are concerned about the impact of the new store on the town centre.

The recommendation to the county council's planning committee was that the application should be refused because it is well outside the town centre and was contrary to the authority's policies on shopping.