Hopefuls cut down to six (From Free Press Series)

Hopefuls cut down to six

TWENTY-five companies have applied to redevelop Abergavenny cattle market site, and these have been reduced to a shortlist of just six.

Monmouthshire County Council, which owns the ground, has drawn up plans to develop the 4.2 acre site with a 25,000sq.ft. foodstore, 31 flats, a new library and five retail or office units in the old slaughterhouse building.

The scheme was considered by the county planning committee yesterday (Tuesday).

They agreed unanimously to approve the scheme. The council's financial director Steve Greenslade gave an undertaking that £420,000 will be contributed towards enhancing Market Street, part of Brewery Yard and Lion Street.

Chris Jones, the council's principal economic development officer, said there has been strong interest in the redevelopment of the site, and it took officers almost a week to sift through the applications to draw up the shortlist of six.

He added: "These six are a mix of developers and foodstore companies."

Local people expect Tesco to be among the front runners, because they are understood to have bought an option on the long lease on the site held by auctioneers.

Carter Commercial Development company, which went into liquidation more than a year ago, had reached an agreement with the auctioneers over the lease, and this was one of their assets, which was believed to have been sold to Tesco.

The giant supermarket company has made no secret of the fact they want to build a bigger store to replace their Metro shop in Frogmore Street, which has over-traded for many years. They were one of the objectors at the public inquiry when Safeway were given the go-ahead by the then Welsh Office to build their supermarket at Llanfoist.

Safeway has now been bought by the Waitrose company, which wanted to build a foodstore in the town centre, but has now conceded that their business can be up and running far quicker in the old Safeway store.

The scheme for the cattle market site involves demolition, but Monmouth-shire's planning chief George Ashworth said the council was committed to facilitating a new cattle market. Farmers and auctioneers have appealed to the council not to demolish the old site until a new facility is built, and this looks likely to be in Llanfoist.

Mr Ashworth said: "The council is not in a position to absolutely commit itself to providing a cattle market. It should be in partnership with auctioneers and the agricultural industry.

"Demolition would not take place immediately, because the auctioneers have a long lease left on the site, and, anyway, there is no point in killing off the cattle market early."