Residents of Abergavenny are one step nearer to getting their regeneration scheme underway this week.

Representatives of the community who together with a member of the Design Commission for Wales made up the majority of the selection panel members have chosen leading architects Stubbs Rich, the firm responsible for option 2 in the recent public consultation, to design the scheme for the cattle market site.

The panel met on Monday and made their choice after hearing submissions from the architects responsible for both options, questioning them on their framework designs and receiving comments submitted by residents during the consultation period. The panel's decision will be relayed to Henry Boot who previously agreed to accept the recommendation of the panel. The architects will be given the comments of the panel as well as the comments made by members of the public during the recent extensive consultation process. A full public pre-application consultation will take place in the Autumn which will give further opportunity to express views.

Bob Greenland, Deputy Leader of the Council and non voting chairman of the panel commented

"There was a good debate around the table and some very useful comments were made. The panel gave overwhelming support for the Stubbs Rich option. The architectural team will now consider how their framework ideas can be improved and translated into a final design to be submitted as a planning application. During the course of this work important issues such as sustainability, disability issues, traffic and incorporating public security and safety into the design will all be considered before we have an application to put before the planning committee. I want to express my thanks to the members of the panel for their time and input and to officers who have worked tirelessly to get us to this position.