THREE new urban areas for the county have been submitted as candidate sites for the next local housing development plan.

100 acres to the west of Raglan, at a site known as Cwm Pentref, will be considered as a possibility of inclusion in the replacement Local Development Plan following a request to landowners and developers for development sites for consideration for the next 12 years. A total of 220 candidate sites have been submitted to Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) from across the county for a range of uses, including residential, employment, (industrial and commercial) and recreation.Mark Hand, head of planning for MCC said that any submissions at this stage are merely to assist the council in understanding what land is available from 2021, the end of the current plan, to 2033.He stressed that the list is not a commitment from the council and some of the sites may not be taken forward to the final plan. Some sites have plans submitted already, such as the controversial 111 homes in Raglan adjacent to the Monmouth Road. Other sites are newcomers to the party, including 100 acres of land on the north side of Dixton Road, opposite the site for the Dixton Road development, that has been used for parking during football tournaments.The site runs up to the back of houses near the top of Hereford Road and is thought to have been submitted by a developer.A total of 24 sites have been submitted for Monmouth, 15 for Trellech and seven for Raglan which includes the controversial 111 homes plan in Raglan adjacent to the Monmouth Road and 74 acres of land east of that towards the A40 put forward for residential, commercial and leisure.Another site in Raglan which is unlikely to prove popular is a two and a half acre site north of the Monmouth Road which was the subject of a controversial plan over 12 years ago that fizzled out.Other large sites submitted for Monmouth include much of the land either side of Rockfield Road including Newbold Paddock, Croft y Bwla and Drybridge Farm.44 acres of land at Drewen Farm and 121 acres of land surrounding Bailey Pit Farm adjacent to the new Kings Wood are also up for consideration for the housing plan for the next 12 years.Two sites submitted for development as healthcare are a site behind Osbaston school and five acres on the Dixton Road running back up to Dixton Close.A site at the bottom of the Mayhill, identified as Mayhill House and workshop, is one of the two Wyesham ward sites to be put forward, the other is land opposite the entrance to the Monmouthire Show siteA report going before Monmouthshire County Council’s (MCC) cabinet today, 6th February, has identified a potential need for 468 affordable homes every year for the next five years.This is made up of: social rent need 102; low cost home-ownership need 284; intermediate rent need 82.MCC will then seek approval for submission of the LHMA to the Welsh Government.Some of the key issues MCC are taking into account in considering what to include are what levels of growth (including population and housing) are required in the revised LDP and where this growth should be.In 2020, the first full draft of the plan will emerge and will form the Deposit Plan to be submitted to the Welsh Government.The approved 12-year plan will be adopted by MCC in 2021. The full lst of submitted plans can be found at: https://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/planning-policy/candidate-sites/monmouthshire-replacement-ldp-candidate-sites-register-february-2019/index-of-candidate-sites-for-development-redevelopment