Raglan residents opposed to the construction of 111 homes in the village now rest their hopes with a planning inspector.

The contentious plans for housing on land off Monmouth Road in Raglan was called in by the Welsh Government after being approved by Monmouthshire County Council.

Hywel Wyn Jones, planning inspector, last week, sifted through those plans during a public hearing at County Hall.

Considering arguments from both the developer Richborough Estates, and campaigners, Mr Wyn Jones will now, after visiting the proposed site, present his findings to the Welsh Government.

A packed public gallery was filled with campaigners holding placards urging the development to be abandoned.

Hundreds of residents have objected to the plans, while a protest march and public meetings were also held before the proposals were approved in November, last year.

Last week’s meeting heard Richborough Estates claim the development will bring an economic boost, and provide much-needed affordable housing to Raglan.

The economic boost, a barrister representing the developer, claimed would bring both short and long-term economic benefits to Raglan. The short-term being construction jobs, and a long-term a predicted boost to public spending after the homes are built.

The site would also provide up to 39 affordable homes, the applicant said.

But campaigners repeated that such economic benefits were illusory, adding that the sheer size of the development would swamp local services and besmirch Raglan’s ‘historic status’.

One local man, Andrew Watkins, said, as the owner of a local supermarket, he should be in full favour of such a development, given the potential boost to his own business.

“If I don’t support this development,” he said outside County Hall last week, “that really should tell you everything.”

Campaigners have said the development is too large for Raglan, arguing the village does not have adequate infrastructure for the amount of homes proposed—arguing that the village would swell by one-third overnight.

The plans were called in by the Welsh Government in December, with concerns the application did not give priority to more sustainable forms of travel. Last week’s meeting heard the developer offer to ‘bring forward’ provisions to improve bus services—a notion which invited audible scoffs from some in the public gallery.

It is also claimed that residents will be able to cycle 7.5 miles to Monmouth and 5.5 miles to Usk to go to work.

But campaigners from the Raglan Village Action Group repeated at the hearing that this expectation is ‘not realistic.’

Campaigners also said it is ‘highly unlikely’ that those who have cars would choose to commute by bus due to limited services, a point which the planning inspector centred upon.

A spokesman for the group said, “We are pleased with the way in which planning inspector Hywel Wyn Jones conducted the Hearing into the proposed housing scheme on June 5, and felt he asked searching questions of the Council Officers and the Richborough representatives, repeating them when answers were unclear. RVAG hadn’t needed to reiterate the powerful points they had previously submitted as objections to the scheme were ‘taken as read’, but through the Inspector were also able to raise supplementary points on planning, heritage, countryside public transport, highways, school capacity and other matters. RVAG are hopeful that the Inspector and Welsh Minister will heed the Action Group’s valid concerns when arriving at a decision later this year and will reject the application.”

It was noted that both David Davies MP, and Nick Ramsay AM, remain opposed.