The Place Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the Deposit Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) Consultation Report before it goes to the council, and to scrutinise the council's car parking review. The committee discussed concerns about the RLDP consultation process, the level of proposed growth, and the impact of development on infrastructure and the environment. They also reviewed the Local Flood Strategy and the council's Car Parking Review.

Deposit RLDP Consultation Report

The Place Scrutiny Committee reviewed the Deposit RLDP Consultation Report, focusing on whether the consultation process was comprehensive and fair. Councillor County Paul Griffiths, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development and Deputy Leader, stated that the plan aims to increase affordable housing, achieve net-zero housing, and sustain towns and villages. Andrew Jones, Head of Planning, provided an overview of the consultation report, noting that the council received approximately 4,500 objections, supports, and comments from about 950 individual correspondents. Key themes included the growth strategy, spatial strategy, climate change, and the challenge of developing on greenfield land.

Several members raised concerns about the RLDP:

• Consultation Process: Councillor County Tomos Dafydd Davies questioned whether the consultation met the Gunning principles, legal tests for public consultation. Councillor County Jane Lucas asked why there had been no significant changes to the plan since the consultation, and whether residents would see the point of taking part in consultations if their responses were not listened to.
• Viability Assessment: Councillor County Louise Brown expressed concern that the viability assessment was overly optimistic and questioned whether it adequately covered infrastructure requirements.
• Traffic Issues: Councillor County Louise Brown raised concerns about traffic increases and the need for infrastructure studies, especially regarding pinch points like the Park Wall and High Beech roundabouts.
• Site-Specific Concerns: Councillor County Louise Brown raised concerns about the Mounton Road site in Chepstow, including traffic congestion and its green wedge status. She also stated that the Shirenewton site is unviable due to sewage issues. Councillor County Penny Jones raised concerns about a housing project and a proposed solar park in Raglan, arguing that the solar park would destroy a profitable dairy farm.
• Proportionality: Councillor County Lisa Dymock questioned the proportionality of allocating 770 homes to Portskewett/Crick and raised concerns about the merging of Portskewett and Caldicot, which she said have distinct identities.
• Sustainability: Councillor County Emma Bryn questioned how it was determined that lower growth would increase the proportion of older people and asked how the plan ensures new homes will rebalance demography rather than increase in-migration.
• Integration: Councillor County Tudor Thomas sought reassurance that the Abergavenny East site will be integrated into the town with good active travel and access links.

Officers and the Cabinet Member responded to the concerns:

• Councillor County Paul Griffiths stated that detailed consideration was given to every response, but significant amendments to the deposit plan are not made at this stage; changes, if any, would occur during public examination by the inspector.
• Craig O'Connor, Chief Officer, Place and Community Well-being, confirmed that there have been no changes in site allocations since the last consultation, though there have been changes to improve the policy framework, especially regarding climate change.
• Sarah Jones, Principal Planning Policy Officer, explained that site-specific viability assessments have been done for each allocated site, including all policy and infrastructure requirements, and these have been independently verified.
• Deb Hill-Howells, Chief Officer Infrastructure, explained that Welsh Government is developing options to improve active travel and traffic flow at High Beach roundabout, and the council is lobbying for a new link road from the B4245 to the M48 which will reduce pressure on the roundabout.
• Ross Price, Project Engineer (Flood Risk Management), explained that new legislation requires sustainable drainage systems¹ (SuDS) for all new developments, ensuring no greater runoff than current Greenfield rates.

The committee agreed that the complete minutes of the Place Scrutiny Committee's meetings on 10 October 2024 and 25 September 2025 would be appended to the final consultation report that is taken to Council on 23 October 2025.

Public Open Forum

Prior to the committee's discussion, members of the public made statements and submitted written statements. These included:

• Dr Geoff Walker raised drainage and access concerns regarding site HA11 (east of Burrium Gate) in Usk.
• Gareth Williams from Lichfields, representing Barrett Redrow Homes, spoke in favour of site HA4 (Leasbrook) in Monmouth, highlighting the need for affordable housing and the site's central role in the LDP strategy.
• Jonty Pearce raised concerns about bat activity at site HA4 (Leasbrook) in Monmouth, stating that the site hosts 12 bat species, representing 80% of all bat species found in Wales.
• Rebecca Cunningham raised concerns about the environmental impact of site HA4, stating that it conflicts with the council's own policies and strategies.
• Ann Langford submitted a video expressing concern that Monmouth could be negatively impacted by surrounding housing estates and increased traffic.
• Frank Brehany raised concerns about air quality at the HA4 site, criticising the council's reliance on Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) standards.
• Rob Elliott expressed concern about increased road traffic from the proposed housing development at HA4/CS-0270, particularly at the Dixton Road junction.
• Barwood Land supported the draft allocation of site HA3 (Mountain Rd) in Chepstow, emphasising that the site has been rigorously tested and scrutinised.
• Richard Liddell outlined the planning history of the Mounton Road site, noting that it has been designated as a green wedge since 1981.
• Zoe John spoke on behalf of Monmouthshire Housing Association regarding site HA1 (Land to the East of Abergavenny), which is allocated for 500 homes, with 50% affordable housing.
• William Morgan raised concerns about proposed solar panels and an extension to the existing enterprise park in Raglan, stating that there had not been any prior consultation before receiving notification.
• Gareth Barton from Turley, representing Richborough, emphasised the collaboration with site owners and other promoters regarding the Showground site, part of the strategic allocation east of Caldicot.
• Catherine Blyth from Asbri Planning, represented two site promoters: the mixed-use allocation at the former MOD Training Centre in Caerwent (HA9) and the employment allocation at the former poultry units, Rockfield Rd, Monmouth.
• Lynne Garnett from Travelling Ahead, supported the inclusion of land in the RLDP for a future Gypsy and Traveller site in Monmouthshire.
• Michelle Morgan from Monmouthshire Housing Association, stated that there are over 3,900 households on the council's affordable housing waiting list, including 203 accepted as homeless.

Local Flood Strategy

The committee scrutinised the adoption of the Local Flood Strategy. Councillor County Catrin Maby, Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment, introduced the report, and Ross Price delivered a presentation.

Key points from the discussion:

• Consultation Period: A member questioned the sufficiency of the six-week consultation period, suggesting it was too short and poorly timed during the holiday season. Officers agreed to consider extending it to eight weeks.
• Urban Creep: A member enquired about measures to address urban creep in already built environments, noting the reduction of green spaces and the effect on flood risk. Officers agreed that producing specific guides for retrofitting SUDS and encouraging the installation of permeable surfaces in existing properties was a good idea.
• Blocked Drains: A member highlighted issues with blocked drains under bridges and culverts, which can cut off villages and cause significant flooding. The officer explained that the strategy is high-level, but the action plan includes specific actions for localised issues.
• Llanbadoc: A member asked whether Llanbadoc is within the boundaries of the strategic flood risk area. The officer confirmed that Llanbadoc falls within the Usk catchment and is part of the Usk strategic flood risk area and would be added to the table.
• Forge Road: The Chair raised concerns about the flooding on Forge Road, particularly the issue of vehicles driving through floodwater and causing waves that exacerbate flooding in properties.

Car Parking Review

The committee scrutinised the findings of the council's Car Parking Review. Daniel Fordham delivered a presentation, introduced the report and answered the members' questions with Craig O'Connor.

Key points from the discussion:

• Enforcement: A member asked for an update on how the additional funds allocated for enforcement functions two years ago have been utilised and whether there has been a noticeable step change in enforcement. Officers would provide the figures for enforcement actions and prosecutions in writing.
• One-Hour Parking: A member highlighted the lack of a one-hour parking option in Monmouthshire's car parks and compared it to other authorities that offer one-hour parking. The officer acknowledged the points raised about the one-hour parking option and mentioned that it could be considered as part of the review of parking charges.
• Severn Tunnel Junction: A member enquired about the inclusion of the new car park over the back of the railway lines at Severn Tunnel Junction in the survey and asked for an estimate of the revenue loss due to the lack of a footbridge connecting the car park to the station. The officer responded that he would need to check whether the survey included the mentioned car park and would come back with information on the associated costs and revenue loss.
• EV Chargers: A member asked about the status of EV chargers in the Cattle Market car park and whether more could be introduced in Monmouth. The officer mentioned that he would check the status of the Cattle Market car park chargers and noted the ongoing programme for installing new chargers.
• Usk: A member expressed concern about the cost and effectiveness of the report, noting the need for additional data collection and questioning why this wasn't included initially. The officer acknowledged the need for additional data and explained that the current report helps identify data gaps.
• Pavement Parking: A member expressed disappointment with the lack of action in the review's action plan and questioned the scope of the review. The officer confirmed that the transfer of responsibility for pavement parking would not come with additional funding, and the review of enforcement capacity would address this.
• Payment Methods: A member raised concerns about the potential phasing out of coin payments, emphasizing the need to consider vulnerable and older residents who may not use digital payment methods. The officer assured that there are no current proposals to phase out coin payments, and the review identified the availability of multiple payment options (cash, card, and pay-by-phone) as a strength of the service.

Shire Hall Financial Update

The committee moved into closed session to scrutinise progress of the National Lottery Heritage Fund development phase of the Shire Hall project.