PROTESTERS are celebrating today after a planning inspector decided burger giant McDonald's should not build a new restaurant near Abergavenny.

Objectors to the 85-seater restaurant and drive-through facility say the decision, revealed first in the Argus yesterday, is a victory for "common sense".

But the fast food company say they are still interested in building in the area despite the decision to reject their appeal.

National Assembly planning inspector Ian Osborne conducted a three-day public inquiry in the town last month and rejected the scheme planned for a site on land owned by the Brandon's turkey factory near the A465.

The scheme was turned down on two grounds. The first was that it did not comply with the development of the town centre - the council wanted the firm to choose a site in the town. The other reason was because of public safety fears over people crossing the busy, three-lane road to reach the site.

Alison Briggs, one of the parents who collected nearly 800 signatures on a petition against the plans, said: "I am so pleased that the inspector listened very carefully to both sides and also did his homework and went and saw the dangers for himself."

Councillor Chris Woodhouse co-ordinated the opposition. He said: "I am very pleased that the inspector has chosen to put children first.

"This decision puts Abergavenny on the map as a town which still has a high proportion of individual shops and we will strive to maintain that in future developments."

Ian Shackleton, the president of Abergavenny Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said: "It's a victory for common sense and it shows that t's worth standing up to big companies like McDonald's.

"Credit must go to Chris Woodhouse for co-ordinating our efforts in opposing the appeal." The scheme was turned down in January by the Monmouthshire county planning committee.

The council's solicitor, Maggie Frith, said the appeal had cost them about £6,500 to hire a barrister and a traffic consultant, plus another £7,500 internal costs to prepare the case. A spokesman for McDonald's said: "We're disappointed at the outcome. We're obviously interested in the Abergavenny area and we were reasonably confident we would be successful.

"We still hope to come to the Abergavenny area but at the moment we're taking stock and it is too early to say what our course of action will be."

*PICTURED: Protesters celebrating after McDonald's lost its bid for a restaurant at Abergavenny are, from left, Barry Greenwood, Alison Briggs and Laurie Jones.