PLANS to build affordable housing in Chepstow are on hold because councillors think the house designs are "banal" and "boring".

Monmouthshire county council's planning committee decided to defer an application to build 21 homes at St Lawrence Park, Chepstow, until a better design is submitted.

Gwerin Housing Association wants to build six flats, two bungalows and 13 two- and three-bedroom houses to further its social housing stock. But councillors felt the plans submitted were detrimental to the area, with one design being likened to a toy house.

"I think one of the bungalows looks like a Noddy house or an old-fashioned waiting- room from a railway station," said Councillor Bob Greenland.

"I would like to see social housing of as high a standard as possible so we don't get the ghetto effect."

Council leader Andrew Crump said affordable housing did not have to be of low quality.

"When we are talking about social housing it does not mean they should be cheap, and it doesn't have to look thoroughly nasty," he said.

"We achieved a much better design of social housing on the Penyfal site in Abergavenny by deferring a decision.

"We should send back this application because we will not put up with a banal design."

Councillor Mike Smith said it was inevitable that social housing could be identified in a housing scheme because it was so different from the rest of the development.

"It is almost always isolated and segregated and of poor design," he said. "This will look like low-cost, cheap, social housing, boring, uninteresting and sad to look at.

"Send it back and we will have another look."