The Urban Design for the redevelopment of Abergavenny Cattle Market, which has won the backing of five major town groups, now has the endorsement of a national architects' body.

CABE, the commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, recently published the conclusions of its review of supermarket led developments.

The CABE review states:"What local communities tell us is that a lot of supermarket led developments amount to a large plain rectangular building and car park in the middle of town...... this can actually undermine local character and sense of place and compound traffic problems."

David Haswell for one of the five groups, the Abergavenny Development Forum said: "This description accurately reflects the Morrisons' proposal.

"They say we should be seeking a lively mix of commercial and non-commercial uses. Example – health centres, libraries, sports facilities, cafés and bars around public spaces and along streets.

"With the foodstore these are the components of a proper mixed development which the site deserves. The council's own 2004 scheme came close to achieving this."

The CABE review also states: "It is clear from the examples that where councils have the confidence to stand firm and use existing policy (national or local) to support their case, they can negotiate better outcomes for their communities."

Mr Haswell said that the council has failed to exercise its planning policies or the power of its position as site owner, and Morrisons have not shown a basic understanding of the town's character.

He said the CABE review highlighted the need for the design brief to indicate what sort of street presence the form and massing of the buildings should create, but the council has allowed Morrisons to propose an unrelieved rectangular box.

He added: "In 2004 the brief stretched to eight pages, in 2009 the design brief was a miserly three paragraphs.

He said CABE recommended screening the store with residential and commercial units to provide balance, as can moving subsidiary elements out of the box and pointed out that this was included in the urban option offered by the Development Forum..

According to industry experts 20 per cent of the trade (and more of the visits) will walk in from the town, so planners seeking well designed and attractive links to the town centre should be pushing at an open door.

Mr Haswell said the site has the potential for an attractive link to town but the current plans do not recognise the need to make the connections.

CABE stated: "Supermarkets and the developers with which they work keep repeating the model designed for out of town sites with rectangular building, large car parks and constant delivery. In our discussions with them it is clear that variation is seen as the enemy of economy. "

Mr Haswell said Morrisons are believed to have a fixed, very traditional view about operational preferences and they apply these without recognition of the need to balance their preferences against community aspirations and planning needs.

CABE say underpinning every good supermarket led scheme is a clear, locally informed brief. A good brief will specify what the design must achieve and what it is desirable to achieve, and reflect design principles set out in national and local planning guidance.

Mr Haswell responded: "In 2009 town groups asked to be involved in the development of the brief and this was refused. This paved the way for a cash-led unfettered brief and an unbalanced scoring matrix in which only seven per cent of the marks were attributed to design issues."

Changes to the planning system will also now enable communities to take the lead in shaping their surroundings, with local projects designed through a collaborative process.

Mr Haswell said this was well demonstrated by the Brewery Yard project, and should have been used for the Cattle Market.

CABE'S review states that getting the design right won't make all the problems associated with supermarket-led development go away, but it would stack the odds more firmly in favour of such development becoming a genuine asset, rather than a potential liability. Mr Haswell's response, on behalf of ADF said: "Abergavenny will be losing an asset to make way for this redevelopment. Morrisons and the council must demonstrate this new scheme has the potential to be an exemplar of quality in the regeneration of an historic market town."

CABE say for many sites it is the supermarket which drives the value, and in the absence of strategic vision from the local authority the interests of the retailer will naturally drive the masterplan, and Mr Haswell said this was an entirely appropriate statement.

CABE concluded: "Given that the sector is buoyant, and these developers are so well resourced, every scheme should reasonably be expected to make a positive contribution to the locality and to the wider prosperity of the town."