AN Abergavenny trader has warned that the town is teetering on the edge of a precipice and a decision needs to be taken over the cattle market soon.

John Bannon, who runs Jaybee soft furnishing shop in Frogmore Street, said, "Retailers are facing so much pressure from the internet and out of town stores that the retail scenario in Abergavenny is at the edge of a precipice.

"With decisions being taken elsewhere, this is the ideal time for positive action to be taken, but the Chamber of Commerce seems to have lost its way on the issue.

"I am a long-standing member of the town's Chamber of Commerce, but in recent times I feel it has developed a confrontational attitude towards councillors and officers and become too political - something which is detrimental to the town.

"I think we now need to look towards developing a new relationship with the council which can be of mutual benefit," said Mr Bannon.

"I've had a long standing belief that we need to get local people to use the town's traders and not go to out of town stores.

"To quote an old phrase, which is as relevant today as it's ever been we must use the local traders or lose them. I think we need a buy local campaign."

Mr Bannon's comments were made after David Davies, the area's Member of Parliament said that he had given his full support to Monmouthshire's plans to relocate the livestock market to Bryngwyn and build a supermarket on the town's cattle market site.

"I agree with everything our MP has said. I hope the situation is resolved quickly so that the farmers get what they need and the town gets what it needs - more footfall in the town centre to revitalise the whole area," said Mr Bannon

"We need to stop faffing around. We've been doing that for too long already and the retail stores desperately need more people in the town to survive.

"In terms of the cattle market it needs to be brought into the 21st Century. This type of activity probably should not be in a town centre and a move out of town is the best solution. The space is ideal for a supermarket.

"We need a supermarket in the town centre. It would be a travesty if another out of town supermarket were to be built on the outskirts of Abergavenny.

Despite his support for the supermarket scheme, Mr Bannon said that he was 'disappointed with the design'

"The planning approval has been given for the supermarket which is a modern clone-styled building, which is not in sympathy with its surroundings," added Mr Bannon."

"I would have like to have seen a building similar in style to the new supermarket built in Brecon that is more traditional and offers better access to the town centre," he said.

"I've been in business for over 30 years and the local authority has afforded us some slack with business rates and I would like to congratulate Monmouthshire County Council on its continued support of independent local traders and I would hope that further progress could be made in order to give even more support to local businesses.

"In my opinion there are too many phone, charity and coffee shops in Abergavenny. We need diversification. We need quality independent traders to make it different from clone towns."

Mr Bannon pointed out that the retail climate was challenging for all independent traders.

He added: "We want to keep our better traders in this town so that they can feel the benefit of having a town centre presence without the need to specialise purely on-line."

Mr Bannon suggests that a co-ordinated step-by-step improvement of the town should also be undertaken - a project which did not have to be 'overwhelmingly expensive'.

He pointed out that some of the street furniture desperately needs some attention and said he thought many items through the town need replacing.

"My first target would be the paving slabs – the red ones, which are in dire need of repair in the pedestrianised part of town," said Mr Bannon.

Mr Bannon concluded, "My working career has always been in Abergavenny. We are on the edge of a precipice and we need action to be taken now.

"David Davies MP summed it up and now is time to make positive decisions. We've been silent for too long and it's about time we, the traders, voiced our interest.

"This is a plea from a local trader asking residents to support the town in which they live."