A VOLVO dealership has been given the green light for a makeover of its retail centre and workshop in Abergavenny. 

As a result of the Merthyr Road Garage’s application for planning permission a complaint that deliveries are made to the garage “throughout the night” was reported to Monmouthshire County Council. 

But the authority’s planning department said this was denied by the garage. Planning officer David Wong wrote in his report: “It has been confirmed that the deliveries do not take place throughout the night. In addition, the business has requested that suppliers do not make parts deliveries before 7am.” 

He said it should also be noted the business already operates and the application only related to refurbishment includes painting or changing internal and external coverings, re-configuring the workshop and the building of a new mezzanine internal parts store area, which it said could reduce deliveries by increasing capacity for storing parts. 

The internal floor space will increase, from 814.3 square metres, to 875.9 sqm but the removal of an existing additional entrance porch will reduce the overall footprint of the main building and valet buildings by 10 sqm, to 882 sqm.  

There will also be internally lit signage but though the application is in the town’s conservation area the council’s heritage officer had no objections as it “is a modern building that does not make a particularly positive or special impact on the character of the area”. 

Parking bays on site will also be re-arranged to meet VRSE (Volvo Retail Sustainability Experience) requirements but access to the site won’t be altered.