Last chance to have your say on Monmouthshire homes plan

An independent planning inspector is soon to decide whether the county's planners have found the best places to build homes over the next ten years.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) is expected to come under the closest scrutiny as the county council and objectors battle it out at hearing sessions in Magor.

This 900 homes figure was made up of 450 homes and another 450 plots to provide a flexibility allowance.

However in June, councillors did not vote through plans to extend Monmouth's Wonastow Road site by 80 plots, so the council has the option of building an extra 820 homes on eight sites by 2021.

This is on top of 4,000 homes in various parts across the county.

Consultation was held over the summer and the inspector has been handed 218 representations including 171 objections regarding the revised figure.

Council head of planning George Ashworth said: “I consider the council has done as much as it reasonably can to meet the inspector’s additional housing requirements.

"When the examination reopens, I and colleagues will argue that the fact that councillors on June 27 were able to agree 820 plots rather than the requested 900 evidences how difficult it is to find large and acceptable quantities of housing land in Monmouthshire.”

Undy councillor Jessica Crook has made her feelings known about the increases, submitting a petition with more than 1,000 signatures against building hundreds more homes there.

The village is earmarked for 425 homes at Vinegar Hill and 70 at Rockfield Farm.

On October 1, the hearing programme will consider the council's housing target, the additional sites on October 2 and affordable housing on October 3.

The examination, open to the public, is in Building 2 (Conference Centre), Wales 1 Business Park, Magor.

People can sit in on the meetings but only those who have made representations can speak.

The council will be sent a report by the inspector detailing the findings.