The controversial cattle grids in Castle Meadows have been removed, following the tragic death of a family pet. 

Prior to the incident, concerned residents had long been expressing their disapproval of the cattle grids and the safety risk they posed towards wildlife, cyclists and children. 

One local said: “It’s like an optical illusion and dogs or kids could just bound into it... Signs were near the gate but a dog or kid could enter from a different entry point and have gone there.”

With their fears brought into harsh reality in May, a petition was set up urging for the cattle grids removal, garnering 1,294 signatures.

Locals can now rest easy as Monmouthshire County Council have confirmed that a slow closing gate will replace the trial cattle grid.

A Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson said: “ All works associated for the trial access point in Castle Meadows has been 100% funded through the Welsh Government Active Travel Fund and part of the £3.8m allocation for the Llanfoist to Abergavenny Active Travel Scheme.  The costs can be seen below and include all design, material purchase and physical infrastructure costs; 

Gate purchase £633

Install of trial access point £9,750 (inclusive of groundworks and path surfacing)

Grid fabrication £1,950

Removal of trial access point and install of new slow closing gate arrangement £3,450

Total cost £15,4783 

"All associated material related to the trial access point is looking to be re used / re cycled and all works carried out was completed by a local company who carry out regular maintenance on the Meadows.  All funding allocated to the scheme, as referenced above, is ringfenced for Active Travel benefits as per the grant funding criteria associated to this specific scheme.”