TWO years ago I was drawn to live in this lovely market

town of Abergavenny for several reasons. 

Chief amongst these are the friendliness of the folk, and

of course, the beautiful countryside. The gentle bustle of

the town is always a delight.

Monday night's meeting at St Michael's Hall was a seminal

one. It helped dispel some of my fears that this historic

town may be fragmented, and instead of having one

vibrant centre, be split into one congested edge of town

featureless shopping area, and a slowly decaying 'Old

Town'.

It gave me heart that those present at the meeting gave a

unanimous 'thumbs down' to the plans for building an

ASDA superstore off centre from the town.

The experts gave their cogent reasons for rejection, and it

is not for me to enlarge on them. However, I pick out two

vital reasons for my rejection. The main one, claimed by

ASDA, is sustainability. Their plans show nothing of

modern building techniques, for example, no solar panels

to provide at least some of their electricity; efficient

insulation of the building is conspicuously absent;

splitting a town in two does not sit happily with the

concept of sustainability; the transportation of their goods

from and to all parts of the UK is huge. My second reason

is more personal. Struck down by a heart attack within the

ASDA complex, I would be on the edge of terror knowing

that an ambulance may be gridlocked in the inevitable

traffic congestion that would be present.

Some form of regeneration is needed for the town, but

not at the expense of splitting it in two.  Is it to be

Asdagavenny, or Abergavenny?

Mr G Bradshaw

Albert Road.