AS the Morrisons saga rumbles on with no conclusion apparently in sight, Monmouthshire County Council has refused to give any update into the situation, saying that it would not be ‘helpful to comment further’.

In an email to the authority’s press office this week prompted by a letter by former KALM campaigner Barry Greenwood, the Chronicle asked for responses to four pressing questions Mr Greenwood had found difficulty in finding.

In his letter to the Chronicle Mr Greenwood said, “I have tried to ring MCC to talk to officers about this but have failed.  I can rarely find anyone at their desk and on Friday afternoon I couldn’t even raise the switchboard.  It’s said that we live in the Age of Information. Could someone please tell MCC?”

On Mr Greenwood’s behalf the Chronicle posed the four following questions:

•What is the problem for which a ‘solution’ is being sought and why wasn’t it addressed in the original discussions prior to the signing of an acceptable contract some three years ago?

• Is the original contract being amended to reflect this issue and if so what is being changed and why?

• There was has been mention of a ‘smaller store’ - does this mean a smaller settlement which will obviously be to the detriment of Abergavenny.

• How long does the original planning permission last for?

It was pointed out that the Chronicle’s deadline was 10.30am on Tuesday morning. At 5pm on Tuesday the following reply was received from the council’s press spokesman:

“Discussions with Morrisons are ongoing. If they are to reach a successful conclusion it would not be helpful to comment further at the moment.”

Despite its reluctance to update the situation MCC insists that the long-proposed Morrisons supermarket site in Abergavenny will still go ahead, despite the supermarket giant missing the deadline to pay the £15million remaining on the town centre site.

The council signed a legally binding contract with the firm and work began to clear the site in preparation for the scheme in 2014 with work supposed to begin on the 25,000 square foot site on the former livestock market by June 13 at the latest, or the supermarket giant would forfeit the £1.6m deposit paid to Monmouthshire County Council.

MCC said earlier this year the supermarket chain was contractually committed to building a store in the town, and that the remaining balance of the £15m deal was due by June.

Last week, a council spokesperson said the position ‘remained unchanged’ and insisted the scheme was on track, despite persistent enquiries from local politicians and the Press over the last year failing to gain a definitive answer as to when work would actually begin.Speaking recently Councillor Bob Greenland insisted that the project would go ahead despite the fact the planned opening of the store was almost two years late with no sign of construction work having begun.

He said, “Whilst we acknowledge that the deadline for payment has passed we’re still working towards achieving a solution that will be mutually acceptable to both parties.

“We recognise the frustration felt by people in Abergavenny, I feel it also, but we’re working to achieve a positive outcome.”

For many in Abergavenny however, it seems like one obfuscation too far…