Does anyone in politics listen to us?

Do Councillors, MPs and Senned members listen to the Public? Do they care?  NO!!

I, like everyone I have spoken to since the Monmouthshire Council Planning Committee passed those plans for the Castle Meadows, feel it is a criminal waste of public poney.

We do not need new paths that will be made with the wrong material,replacing those that have been there 30 years and can cope with the continual flooding.

The present path is made of blocks with holes which allow water to escape and hence not rot them.The present paths can be cleared of extra soil and grass which arrive at every flooding by scraping it away. 

This is done regularly by volunteers as there is no maintenance money for this yearly work.This will not be possible with the new paths. They can not  be scraped as that will destroy the path.

The path from Byfield carpark to the river has recently been coated with a different substance and is breaking up demonstrating the wrong material was used.

This is what will happen to the proposed new paths. They will not be made of material that can be scraped to clear the grass and soil and hence will quickly decay.

Hence will become useless and not fit for purpose. A COMPLETE WASTE OF PUBLIC MONEY.Monmouthshire Council fails to understand that the Castle Meadow is an unique flood plain where the River Usk floods regularly and pools of water arrive all over the Meadows. 

Hence a while ago they passed plans for a pedestrian bridge over the River Usk but again with the wrong design and material. 

At the first flood it would be washed away. Lives could be lost.

I’ve heard that local contractor will agree to build this bridge as they don’t want to damage their reputation. 

They know the bridge would not last many months.

We need a safe way for pedestrians, families, disabled people in wheelchairs or mobility scooter and cyclist to cross from Abergavenny to Llanfoist, and vice versa, but not via a bridge that could kill us. 

The River Usk floods every year, water levels rise considerably and go at great speed so large trees are carried through the stone road bridge with apparent ease. 

The proposed pedestrian bridge would easily be demolished. 

Why can’t the Council work this out?  Why did they pass the plans? Monmouthshire Council fails to undergo proper wildlife surveys so the Otter Trust has had to step in to inform them of an Otter Holt on the banks of the River Usk.

Otters are protected and no building work is allowed along the river bank as close as the existing path is. Hence the existing path can not be destroyed or altered.

Another fact the Planning Committee is choosing to ignore. Why? 

The existing paths must stay as they are.

Does the Planning Committee ever think things through?Do they ever listen to the General Public and learn things about the area? 

Viz the new bus stop by Tesco. Should have been in a layby but they had not researched what was under the surface. No bus should drive there as far too heavy.

Hence the bus stops on the road but at a T junction. 

Doesn’t the council know the Highway Code?  Nothing is allowed to park on a T junction. 

When a bus stops it has to put its brakes on. The bus is then deemed to be parked. Hence breaking Highway Code. Council’s fault.

Active Travel seem to have forgotten that their main aim is to help pedestrians and particularly disabled people to access facilities. 

Cyclists should come bottom of the list and not as it seems to be top concerning the Meadows.

The kissing gates are impossible to negotiate with a pram, wheelchair, lots of children and their bikes, mobility scooters and bicycles.

Recently the plan seemed to be to install two small swing gates opening onto the Meadows in place of each kissing gate. All regular users were delighted with this news but sorry it wasn’t happening immediately. But now there seems to be the idea for cattle grids instead. 

Active Travel should have installed easy to open swing gates, opening into the Meadows, years ago, but now before Easter would be good.

Any farmer will tell you that cattle grids do not contain cattle. Active Travel should know this from the incident in Cambridge last March. The day the cattle grid was opened the whole herd marched across it and went to the local supermarket. The cattle then lost that field of food. Other animals, including dogs will fall in as we all know from poor Eva’s painful death last  March. Wild life can fall in and bve unable to get back out and die a painful death of starvation. 

All Cycling Associations state DO NOT RIDE OVER CATTLE GRIDS. 

They will ruin your bike and you could have a nasty accident.At all Cross Country cycle events the cattle grids are covered over for this reason.

No idea why Active Travel thinks cattle grids are a good idea.Perhaps it is because cyclists are not capable of opening gates?  Not sure why that is the case. The ones I know can.

Having a gate to open reminds everyone this is a shared space and hence to treat others with respect and not race round people etc.

Why do we have the Senned? Why do we need more members? 

The present ones don’t answer letters or they refer you to Monmouthshire councillors who don’t reply. A few, like Laura Wright, do.

There seems to be no concept of how to budget money so necessary things can be done.

Why waste millions of pounds on daft Active Travel projects that the majority of locals do NOT want?

Why haven’t they reopened the much needed Tudor Centre and provided more social care?

People are forced to spend long periods in hospital as there is no care available for them at home. hence horrendous bed blocking and long waits for any NHS help.

What can the General Public do to stop this appalling wasting of their money?