Monmouthshire councillors have unanimously approved plans for a new police station in Abergavenny – but have raised concerns at a lack of public access.

Gwent Police closed Abergavenny police station in 2019, selling its site for retirement flats, and has now been given permission for a new base at Llanfoist, on a roundabout off the A465 Heads of the Valleys road.

But Monmouthshire council’s planning committee was told members of the public won’t be able to drop in at the station to access police services, unless by invitation.

Planning officer Phil Thomas said the “brownfield” location, on the edge of a business park, is intended to be prominent to road users.

He said: “It will be a deterrent to the criminal element who use the Heads of the Valleys road to traffic things like drugs. It won’t function as a normal police station where the public can arrive unannounced, it will be very much request and appointment only.”

Llanfoist councillor Ben Callard told the committee: “If I had a magic wand to get a new police station for Abergavenny this one probably wouldn’t be it, it’s not a local police station but it’s definitely an improvement and I fully support it.

“I really think the location is a good one, it’s highly visible.”

The station will be built on an unused piece of land, near the Premier Inn hotel and Brewers Fayre restaurant, and in front of an existing electricity pylon while a large pond on the site will be retained.

Cream coloured cladding will be used on the exterior walls, rather than black as originally proposed, and Mr Thomas said: “The original design was considered to be quite austere and did attract comments from the Design Commission for Wales.”

The two-storey building will be used by officers as a day-to-day hub with welfare facilities, such as a gym, lockers, a multi-faith room and kitchen, on the ground floor and first floor predominately used as office space. There will also be a room for “informal interviews” with the public.

Cllr Dale Rooke, who represents Chepstow, said: “I’m not against this application I’m only sorry, as some other members have suggested, it is not to be an accessible police station.”

He welcomed the retention of the pond and the acknowledgment of its link to a neighbouring pond which is a breeding ground for protect great crested newts. An ecological management plan has been submitted as part of the application.

Cllr Tony Eason, who is a council appointed member of the Gwent Police and Crime Panel, said the station is “to try and deter some of the crime that does come in from the Midlands.”

He added a similar station, to target criminals using the M4 and M5, is also planned for the south of the county.

Since the closure of the previous station Gwent Police have operated a ‘drop in’ base at the market hall from 9am to 5pm.