PLANS to develop the Deri Farm site in the Mardy have come under the scrutiny of a Welsh planning inspector.

Inspector Sian Worden told the inquiry at Magor that she was investigating the soundness of Monmouthshire County Council's Local Development Plan to identify sites for 4,000 homes in the county.

But controversy surrounds the viability of the site and the amount of housing that has been allocated to be built on it.

The inspector was told that density had varied between 300 homes and 220, the suggested number proposed by developer Persimmon Homes, and the cost of burying the cables which supply electricity for the national grid could be as much as £10million, which would not make the site viable.

Graham Hacker, representing the protest group Mardy Against Deri Developments, said that the site would be very expensive to develop and that all houses would have to sell at over £300,000 to make the site sustainable.

He added: "The proposed cost of this housing will be out of reach to local people and combined with reducing the number of dwellings and the cost of burying the power cables, it would effect the overall viability of the Mardy site."

Mr Hawker suggested that the inspector investigates a number of nearby sites that did not feature in the LDP, including land along the Old Hereford Road.

The inspector added: "There is no point in having a number of homes allocated on a site that is not deliverable."

Darren Parker, operational manager for JW Holdings, said: "This site started at 300 homes, then changed to 250 and now we hear it's down to 220 units and we even have a suggestion that 200 would be acceptable on environmental grounds."

County Councillor Bob Hayward, who was a director of a major building company, pointed out that the assumption made by the developers was flawed.

He added: "The cost implications to put the power cables underground has not been thoroughly examined. The cables have already been moved to allow a development in the area to go ahead and I envisage that there will be difficulties with this site and that the estimates are on the conservative side and could effectively be doubled from the proposed £2million to at least £4million.

"The developers say that it is technically achievable, but having had working experience of these issues I have my doubts.

"In summary I feel the site is not a viable proposition and should be removed from the LDP."

Mr Hawker added: "The sewerage system in the area is old and clapped out and 200 plus houses will only make the problem worse."

The issue over traffic congestion was also highlighted.

Mr George Ashworth, Mon CC's Head of Planning, denied claims that the Deri Farm development and the Morrisons Cattle Market project would cause gridlock.

"The traffic delays would be measured in a just a few minutes, a situation that many towns would be envious of. People commuting to work would be using the road at a different time from those coming into town to shop," he said.

Philippa Hodgkiss told the inquiry that any delay at the traffic lights on the Hereford Road would hamper the timings of the retained fire and rescue personnel getting to the fire station on time.

Mr Hawker concluded: "The Deri Farm development should be taken out of the Local development Plan and the authority should look at a combination of smaller sites in the Abergavenny area as an alternative solution."