What is the purpose of the MCC? Many ofus in Abergavenny feel their aim is to ruin Abergavenny as they spend vast sums of money ruining most things and feel very proud of themselves. They are adverse to any discussion and keep their ideas behind bars.

You are very unpopular if you try to let the General Public know of these ideas. Many would have information that they are lacking and could have saved them wasting money!!

Large sums of money were spent revamping the Theatre. It looks very nice but were there any Health and safety Inspections?

The lift seems to get stuck frequently.

The side aisles with handrails and the door at the back of the Stalls have been removed.

If you arrive first you can drag yourself up to your seat holding onto the seat arms by the centre aisles but how do you get down?

The seats are harder with far less leg-room and no movable arms. On our first visit, since renovation, I sat on the floor where the exit door used to be while my husband sat in the end seat and lost all normal feeling in his left leg and was in great agony. We left at the interval and wont be going back. We have since discovered many feel the same.

Deri View Primary school is about to reopen at the top of Pen y Pound, miles from the children’s homes.

Access is very limited now. It will be horrendous when the school opens. The pavements are not fit for purpose. Not wide enough for prams etc and slope towards the road. The road is narrow with many parked cars.

All primary children will need to be driven there, bus or car. Chaos and potentially very dangerous. Most of Abergavenny were unaware of these plans until work had started with many thinking it was just a new teaching block etc for the present school.

The new much needed bus stop down the side of Tescos has to be seen to be believed.

We all thought lots of space for a big bus pull in but we have got large beds of dying weed like plants instead!

The bus is supposed to stop in the road right opposite the turning to access the senior school. when the bus stops all traffic is stationary and it takes even longer to turn right up that turning. However, that does make it easier to turn right from the front of Tesco. The bus shelter has seats facing Tesco and not the road. Very useful!! I asked a councillor why there was no obvious pull in and was told the bus drivers wouldn’t be able to get back out into the traffic!!

Yesterday I discovered that few buses will stop at this new bus stop as they would then be breaking the law. Buses are not allowed to park at a T junction. That spot is a T junction.

You are parked if you put the brake on which you have to do to let people on and off a bus.

Health and Safety is important. There are times when many of us feel it is taken to daft levels however Life is important and changes mustn’t be made to make life unsafe.

The plans for Castle Meadows do just that but MCC wont listen to any criticism and have pulled down all info posted around the Meadows and Town in an effort for the General Public to have a say in how our money is spent. Any meetings have been by invite or not advertised by MCC. The protesters discovered about the meeting on Tuesday 18th July and advertised it!! At the Stakeholders meeting on Monday 17th July we learnt of some changes.

There will not be cattle grids at all exits. NO CATTLE GRIDS are wanted anywhere on Castle Meadows. They are not safe as was proved in the trial period of 4 days at the end of April when many got stuck on the grid as unable to open the gate next to it, fell off their bike, dogs got injured with one dying a horrific death, broken neck.

Wildlife can fall in a cattle grid and die a slow death. The grids are there for easy access for cyclists and to keep the cows in.

The gates work well at the moment keeping the cows in. We just need easy to operate gates, opening onto the meadows only, that all can use remembering that many use the Meadows and all should be respected.

However at the meeting we were told that when the cows weren’t there the grids would be screened off and the gates fixed open!!

Cars and motorbikes could access the Meadows at certain grids but would be able to do it more easily when cattle are absent. It will be a nightmare for young families to visit the Meadows.

Later in the stakeholder meeting MCC were at pains to say they had listened to our pleas of no cattle grids. Hence there would be none at the new double sized Gavenny bridge but that there would be no gates either. Hence cattle could cross via the bridge rather than the river.

Not to worry MCC said as we are making the bridge extra strong so it can support all 20 cattle along with the General Public, young children, elderly, disabled, blind, deaf, mobility scooters, prams and all the dogs!! Does MCC have any concept of Health and Safety?? Work hasn’t started yet on the Meadows.

The ghastly plans must be stopped and money saved. MCC wants to spend vast sums on things people see, whether they are wanted or not. They do not want to reopen Tudor Centre, the home of My Day, My Life, which was closed because of Covid and never reopened. There was a protest outside Melville Theatre Tuesday 15th August.

This was reported on ITV National News.

Money should be spent on these much needed centres and not on ruining a unique beauty spot. At the end of the day all money has come from residents of Abergavenny, whatever pot MCC say the money is from.

I am organising a hopefully noisy Protest walk leaving the Trading Post area at 10am on Saturday 2nd September. Please can you all join me.

Thank you for reading this. Do contact me by email on [email protected]

Liz Procter. Avenue Crescent, Abergavenny