THE creation of a Business Improvement District in Abergavenny could be one of the final opportunities to prevent the 'slow but inevitable decline' of the town a local businessman has warned. John Bannon, who has traded in Abergavenny for more than 30 years is calling on fellow businesspeople to get behind the new scheme, which could see almost £1million invested in the town over the next five years. He is urging traders to take part in the specially designed survey - one of the first steps towards creating the Business Improvement District. This year, Abergavenny was one of nine local towns which successfully applied for funding from the Welsh Government, to create a proposal for a Business Improvement District. The application was spearheaded by local groups including Abergavenny Civic Society and local businesswoman Emma Goode and her mother Janis Davies. A BID is intended to bring together businesses and other stakeholders in a defined geographical area, so they can develop projects and activities which will help boost the local economy. Mr Bannon said, "I've been in business in Abergavenny for 35 years. Years ago the town was 'smart'. On a Saturday the atmosphere was very much like the food festival. It was seen as the county town, and activities and businesses thrived. "People wanted the best for the town, but now thanks to the recession and many other reasons, there is a sense of apathy in the town, and people are keeping their heads down to keep themselves afloat. Emma Goode, from Goodies Womenswear added, "I understand the apathy, but we want people to realise that, at a time like this, they should be doing the opposite and taking action. We need to make changes to the town to bring it back to what it once was, and to help all businesses that are here." If the proposal gains enough support it will be partly funded by a town-wide subsidy from business rates. Abergavenny has been already been granted £17,000 for a consultation to judge support for the project - information which will be used to design the eventual scheme.Two consultants have been appointed to oversee the process, Chris Jones and Owen Davies. Chris said, "We are hoping to consult with as many business as we can to gauge what are the most important things to them, such as safety, parking, or any other issues they may have. "We have surveys online for business to fill in, and have their opinions heard. We have extended the deadline for this until May 23, to give more people time to come forward. "So far we have had over 50 responses, we would like to double that if we can, as the information we gather from this survey will shape the outcome of the decision on the bid, and be used for the plans over the next five years." They are also meeting with community groups and schemes, such as the Abergavenny Food Festival and the town council to see what they are doing in the town, and to find ways of working together. The BID is being supported by the Mosaic Partnership, which provides diverse services to develop people, organisations and partnerships to manage town centres. Mo Aswat, the founder of the Mosaic partnership said, "We have worked with 64 towns across the UK in their work to get successful Business Improvement Districts, and we are excited to be working with Abergavenny to help make this become a reality. "We have never had an unsuccessful bid so far, and we want to help show the businesses in the area the good things that this can bring. Many people do see the initial cost and get turned off, but we are here to show people that there are returns on their investments, and we have many examples of towns which have increased what they have put in by up to five times." Although it is not yet know how much the scheme will cost local businesses it is said that it will equate to no more than two per cent of their business rates. "For probably about £100 a year it will allow us to make so many changes in the town - and make sure they are the changes we want,"?said Mr Bannon A meeting will be held in the Angel Hotel on May 19 at 7.30pm, where representatives from Mosaic, Monmouthshire County Council and Abergavenny Civic Society will be in attendance to give more information about the bid proposal and the advantages for the town. The survey is available for people to complete online at surveymonkey/s/abergavennytownsurvey, and for a paper copy contact Chris Owen on 07968943084, or Owen Davies on 07809594524. For further information about the BID, head along to the meeting at the Angel Hotel, or for further insight into the reasons behind the BID, contact Emma Goode or John Bannon at their respective stores in the town.