A CAMPAIGN group fighting to keep Abergavennys livestock market has expressed concern that the way in which its sale to Morrisons is being presented may give the impression that there are now no obstacles in the way.

Keep Abergavenny Livestock Market (KALM) says there are still a number of issues to be resolved before anything can happen to the livestock market.

Listing the issues, campaign member Barry Greenwood said, Firstly, the Abergavenny Acts will have to be repealed or amended, which only the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) can do. 

KALM has lodged a massive body of evidence with the Assembly Petitions Committee showing how closure of the market is opposed by many local people and most local farmers and why it would damage the town centre.

Secondly, WAG will have to approve the traffic impacts of any large development on the site, which they failed to do for the ill-fated Henry Boot scheme. The Morrisons scheme will also have major traffic impacts.

Thirdly, the Morrisons scheme will have to get planning approval from the planning committee, which rejected the Boot scheme for five different reasons in 2006.

Fourthly, despite the withdrawal of the Judicial Review over Councillor Greenlands livestock market scheme at Bryngwyn, there are still outstanding legal issues there.

Fifthly, the Johnsey planning application for a supermarket at Llanfoist is already in and due for determination by the planning committee very soon. If it is approved, this would jeopardise the Morrisons scheme because there isnt the retail capacity in the area for both supermarkets.  If it is rejected by the PC, Johnsey might win on appeal because the livestock market is not currently available for development due to the Abergavenny Acts and other impediments mentioned above.

Sixthly, Councillor Greenland made no mention of the new regional farming centre being proposed by a private developer for a brownfield site at Llantarnam, which would include a livestock market as well as other farming facilities - something we must assume he is well aware of.

Mr Greenwood said that the Llantarnam project falls within Torfaen County Councils boundaries. It is being privately funded and the area could not support regional markets both at Bryngwyn and Llantarnam within a few miles of each other.

However, added Mr Greenwood, If Councillor Greenland supported Llantarnam instead of his own plans for a tax-payer funded livestock market at Bryngwyn, he would still deliver on his promise of a regional livestock market, and could claim credit for saving Monmouthshire council tax payers both the £5M capital cost of Bryngwyn, and the ongoing annual subsidy involved in leasing it to auctioneers at below economic rent. It would be win/win for everybody.

After speaking to local farmers, KALM believes retaining the Abergavenny market would be viable if the local farmers and auctioneers are determined to make it work and could be facilitated by some small-scale development along the lines they published last year.

Mr Greenwood concluded, All these issues still stand in the way of Morrisons building on the livestock market.  KALM stress they are not anti-Morrisons and would, along with many people and local shopkeepers, welcome them if another town centre or edge-of-centre site could be found.

This would be another win/win for everybody. KALM firmly believe that the livestock market is uniquely important to the social and economic fabric of Abergavenny as a market town and must be safeguarded.

Monmouthshire County Councils Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Modernisation, Enterprise and Communications Councillor Bob Greenland said, As I have already acknowledged, there is some way to go with this scheme and no doubt further efforts may be made by some to frustrate the plans.

Nevertheless I am confident the council will deliver the long overdue town centre store, a new library and a replacement market for the agricultural community in addition to the new Brewery Yard. 

These capital improvements and all fees incurred will be met from the sale of the cattle market site, with no calls being made on taxpayers money.