MONMOUTHSHIRE'S planning chief George Ashworth has warned that any further delays in developing Abergavenny's cattle market site will open the doors to an out of town development.

His comments were made as part of Mr Ashworth's cross examination at the public inquiry into the authority's bid to compulsory purchase land adjacent to the proposed replacement market at Bryngwyn in order to secure the shooting rights covenant.

He said: "The original outlying planning permission for the former Coopers Filters site submitted by Johnsey Estates has changed a lot since it was originally approved.

"Currently it is mainly residential and has planning permission for a hotel, a DIY centre and a number of small business units. But the latest threat - an out of town supermarket - was submitted to Monmouthshire County Council last October as a replacement scheme for the DIY store.

"As an authority we have already demonstrated that the town needs extra retail footage and if the Abergavenny Improvement Acts are not repealed on the current town centre cattle market site and the CPO obtained at Bryngwyn for our replacement livestock market, then the redevelopment plans for Abergavenny town centre may not happen.

"As a consequence we could then fall foul of creating an edge of town supermarket, which I feel will be damaging to the town centre of Abergavenny.

"We already experience people driving to the supermarket at Llanfoist and drive away again without even visiting the town.

"We need to start constructing the new livestock market at Bryngwyn as soon as possible because of the threat of the out of town supermarket getting permission before we can make progress on the redevelopment of Abergavenny's cattle market site for the Morrisons' store."

The amended application submitted by Johnsey Estates last October reveals that the developers are putting forward plans to build a Class A1 foodstore on the site along with a petrol station. 

The site itself is 2.49 hectares and proposes a retail store of 4,392 square metres with 324 parking spaces.

The application says that the retail store will not be housing a pharmacy, opticians, photo processing centre or a post office.

Residents of Coopers Way are among the many people who have objected to the proposals.

Among their list of concerns is the location of the petrol station, the proposed road layout and the environmental impact of the development.

Anthony Ferguson, a spokesman from Peacock and Smith, planners for Morrisons said:" A supermarket on the former Coopers Filters site would seriously undermine the prospects of developing a Morrisons supermarket on the cattle market site in Abergavenny.

"Another supermarket alongside the large Waitrose store would effectively create a critical mass of food retailing in an out-of-town location that will primarily serve car-borne shoppers.

"This would negate the need to visit the town centre of Abergavenny for other food and non food shopping purchases as part of the same trip.

"Permitting this proposal will send out the wrong signals in terms of protecting and enhancing the health of Abergavenny Town Centre. Whereas refusing the application will ensure the vitality and viability of the town is preserved."