THE long awaited cattle market saga was due to take a step forward yesterday (Wednesday) at a special meeting for the signing of the contracts for the town centre development reports Lorna Phelan. As the Chronicle went to Press, officers and councillors of Monmouthshire County Council were expected to meet representatives of Henry Boot Developments Ltd - the company developing the cattle market site - Asda and Abergavenny Market Auctioneers Ltd (AMAL) to sign the contracts. It is the second time the meeting has been organised - a similar meeting planned for last month was cancelled at the eleventh hour for technical reasons. In a statement about the meeting AMAL, which is operated jointly by Newland Rennie Wilkins, Montague Harris and Co and J Straker Chadwick and Son, said it welcomed the council's commitment to fund and develop a new livestock market in Monmouthshire, which underpinned it's own 'determination to ensure a continuous marketing facility for the agricultural industry in the county and surrounding area'. "Whilst the closure of Abergavenny market on its present site will undoubtedly be a sad day for all of us who have worked or traded livestock on the market, in many cases for the whole of our working lives, we are looking forward to grasping the opportunities that will be afforded by the construction of a new facility at Raglan. "Equally accessible from all parts of the county and with excellent road links to the motorway network, the new site will give us the best chance of maintaining a thriving livestock market for many years to come," said a spokesman.