MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council has vowed to let the market decide the future of Abergavenny's livestock sales should a high court ruling decide that the repeal of the Abergavenny Acts should be overturned.

Speaking at last week's meeting of the authority's cabinet, Councillor Bob?Greenland said that the council planned to go ahead with the building of a new livestock market at?Bryngwyn 'regardless of the outcome of the legal challenge to the repeal of the Abergavenny Improvement Acts'.

Councillor Greenland told cabinet members, "If there is a question over the Act's repeal following a Judicial Review then we would be obliged to offer a continuing cattle market in Abergavenny.

"However with all the major buyers and sellers and auctioneers moving to the purpose-built site in Bryngwyn, I would predict that it wouldn't be long before the Abergavenny site would reach a natural position of its own redundancy.

"Farmers would be reluctant to take their stock to a market where there were potentially no buyers.

"It's a simple fact that the act says we are obliged to offer a market in the 'old town' of Abergavenny and there is no real alternative but for it to stay where it is.

"With the new market up and running, any activity on the old one will surely wither away and it will come to a natural end in a short space of time."

The cabinet member for Modernisation and Enterprise added, "By the time the Bryngwyn Livestock Market site is built we will know the true extent of our legal position in Abergavenny."

Councillor Greenland explained to members of the council last week that there were no legal impediments to prevent building the new market and with the capital budget in place, the authority was finalising the selection of contractors. He added, "We wish to begin on site as soon as possible."

He emphasised the council has ensured that there would be a seamless transfer from the old Abergavenny market to the new one.

Councillor Greenland said it was impossible to be specific on when the authority would be able to offer vacant possession of the old site due to impending hearings of judicial reviews relating to it.

"However, some of the capital receipt from the sale of the Abergavenny site represents an important contribution to the capital budget for our 21st century schools project," said Councillor Greenland. 

"Let's not forget the benefits to Abergavenny from this scheme apart from the new supermarket which include a new library; the redeveloped Brewery Yard and a sizeable contribution to the re-building of King Henry VIII School."

Councillor Greenland said that the livestock market project has had a difficult birth and added: "There are some very determined and principled objectors. But it is now time for the democratic mandate to deliver the project.

"There is a clear majority of members of this council of different political persuasions who support a new supermarket and who want to see a new livestock market.

"At the last election not one member of the Keep Abergavenny Livestock Market campaigners stood. It would be a travesty of democracy for this council to accede to KALM's demands.

"This council has the right, in fact the duty, to fulfill its mandate to the farming community to provide a new centrally-situated livestock market and to the people of the Abergavenny area to provide a new food store."

Councillor Greenland noticed that some comments and comparisons had been made in the Chronicle comparing the new Bryngwyn market and the new Somerset market at Sedgemoor.

He stated, "Our new market will not be a Sedgemoor with ancillary services on site.

"Why? Because just two miles away we have Raglan that already has an agricultural merchants and machinery suppliers plus a host of other services useful to farmers.

"In addition there is a blossoming light industrial/business park that can cater for any other needs that have commercial opportunities.

"Our new market will be a welcome boost to the village."

Councillor Peter Fox said that it had been a long journey with a few hurdles that still needed to be overcome and added, "I speak to working farmers and others all the time who all agree that the current site is not suitable.

"And now with the new site ready to start construction we can start to make progress."

Councillor Bryan Jones said,"Councillors involved with this scheme have suffered a lot of insults over time over this project. Slings and arrows are all part of the job of being a councillor and this project is the best thing for the farming community and the best for the people in Abergavenny."

Councillor Greenland went on to explain that the new livestock market has been designed in consultation with users including farmers, buyers and auctioneers.

He added, "A lot of thought has gone into the design. It's not been designed by us in isolation, it's what the auctioneers need to run an efficient market. A café on site is a must as this is an essential element for the social side of farming."