COUNCILLORS have praised ambitious plans to regenerate Caldicot town centre and take advantage of the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls.

The Strategic Investment Proposal for Caldicot includes creating larger retail units with a greater variety of shops on offer, which is hoped will help improve the sense of vitality in the town centre.

Plans also include improving links between Asda in Woodstock Way and the town centre to bring more people into Caldicot.

The ambitious vision includes creating an improved pedestrian route between the ASDA store and Newport Road which is one of the main shopping areas of the town.

It is also hoped to improve links with Caldicot Castle to boost the town centre.

At Monmouthshire County Council’s economy and development select committee meeting on Thursday, head of enterprise and community development Cath Fallon updated councillors on the plans which were first commissioned in 2014.

She said the plans would help address social issues, create jobs and help Monmouthshire benefit from the abolition of the Severn Bridge tolls.

Cllr Alan Davies (Labour, Green Lane ward) said the vision was a “long term project” and warned against raising expectations for action to be taken immediately.

He added: “I am very pleased this is having the attention it deserves and I hope Caldicot gets the town centre it deserves.”

Cllr Jez Becker (Liberal Democrats, St Mary’s) said revamping the town centre was important to help the area benefit from the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls.

Cllr Becker said the abolition of the tolls will create an opportunity to attract people to the town centre and boost the economy, while Cllr Mat Feakins (Conservative, Drybridge) said it was important that the plans help re-engage the wider town centre, and that the vision is not limited to changing shop fronts.

Cllr David Dovey (Conservative, St Kingsmark) praised the scheme and said it was important public transport improvements are included in the vision.

Chairman of the committee Cllr Paul Pavia (Conservative, Larkfield) said the opportunity to develop Caldicot was welcome.

He added: “It is clear from our discussions repurposing our town centres has got to be more than a cosmetic change, it’s got to be a cultural change and engrained from the bottom up working with businesses in situ.”

Cllr Pavia said further engagement with businesses was needed as the plans are taken forward.

The plans were commissioned in February, 2014 to build upon the additional footfall generated by the ASDA store and help provide an attractive shopping and business experience.

A visioning report on the plans produced in 2016 states the masterplan covers a long-term transformation of the town centre that will take about 10 to 15 years.

It adds: "It is, consequently, recognised that there is a need for a transformation of the existing town centre offer to fully capture the potential benefits."