Travel Updates –
Roads –

M48 Bridge weight restriction from May 2025
M4 Prince of Wales Bridge update May 2025

Trains –

Engineering work May 2025
Engineering work June 2025

11th February 2025 –
Notice of a vacancy for a Councillor for the Earlswood and Newchurch West ward

 

9th December 2024 –
SCC response to Monmouth County Council’s proposed RLDP

Monmouthshire County Council ‘s proposed RDLP 2018-33 seeks to designate the land west of Redd Landes CS0232 (1.76ha 4.35 acres) as an intended development for 26 houses. Villagers should please refer to MCC’ s website for the proposed RDLP and particularly page 367 for details of this site.

Shirenewton Community Council is responding to the consultation. That response can be read in full HERE
but in brief our objections are set out below. Villagers wishing to put their views to MCC can do so online where there is a consultation link, and should include them at question 10. Responses should include reference to Policy HA18 Land west of Redd Landes Shirenewton CS0232.  Should you wish to respond by email, it needs to include wording that this is in response to question 10 re Policy HA18 Land west of Redd Landes Shirenewton CS0232 and is to be included in the consultation.  Responses must be received by MCC by 16th December.

SCC objections summarised :

  1. The site lies outside the current village envelope and fails to meet heritage and landscape policies both national and local.
  2. The number of houses proposed will place an overwhelming and unfair burden on our village community in absorbing so many new families.
  3. Car use is unavoidable and air pollution will inevitably rise.
  4. Major infrastructure is lacking. The utility companies and our school have no spare capacity to service the new housing.
  5. Policy S6 attempts to place the funding requirements for the necessary infrastructure on developers but runs the risk that the services will not be provided until the entire site development is completed, if ever, and will add significantly to the market house prices, to the detriment of our youngsters’ desire to make their homes in the village
  6. The development of the site presupposes there will be a housing association ready and fully funded to take on the affordable houses. Planning policy should require the ability of the selected housing association to proceed before the development can start.
  7. Housing should be reserved for families with established connection to Shirenewton and Earlswood wards.
  8. In other words, the development is undeliverable in its scale, and phasing does not provide a solution.
Community Clock Repair

Firstly, many thanks to those who took the time to respond to the Community Council request for feedback on the repairs necessary to the church clock.

The feedback received to date has been limited, of the 160 households in Shirenewton and 131 households in Mynnyddbach we received only 14 responses. The responses have been fairly, equally split on whether the clock should be repaired or not. Some views have also been expressed that any repairs that are undertaken should not be done by utilising Community Council reserve funds.

The Community Council has discussed the responses in depth and based on the number of responses and feedback it is clear that we do not have the remit of our community to commit community funding for any repairs other than by way of small grants.

Therefore, if the clock is to be repaired, this will need to be funded by community led fundraising efforts. If anyone would like to take on the role of fundraising coordinator, please get in touch and the Community Council can pass over the contact details for the repair company as appropriate.

Many thanks.
Shirenewton Community Council

Other headlines –
About the Council

The Council represents the local views and interests of the residents of the Ward of Shirenewton and Mynyddbach, and the Ward of Earlswood and Newchurch to Monmouthshire County Council, which in turn, refers back to the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Community Council has 7 Councillors, the number Councillors for each Ward being:- Shirenewton and Mynyddbach (5), Earlswood and Newchurch (2).

The Council has a limited budget that is used to support local amenities (eg the recreation field, children’s playground, community footpaths, etc). In addition, each year organisations in the community can apply for grant aid from the Community Council.

Council meetings are held on the first Monday of every month (except Bank Holidays, when it is the second Monday) at the Recreation Hall, Shirenewton. These are open meetings starting at 7.00 pm and members of the public are very welcome to attend to either raise issues in the first 15 minutes, and/or listen to the rest of the meeting.

Some of the standard agenda items for meetings are:

Planning Applications – All applications for planning proposals are brought before the Council, which is invited by Monmouthshire County Council, to give its comments and observations from a local perspective. The Community Council can only make recommendations to Monmouthshire County Council which is the local planning authority with powers to grant planning permissions.

Monthly Police Report – The Community Police Officer reports local crime and incidents to the Community Council and will attend meetings if required. This is a two way process and the Council can also make the CPO aware of local issues.

Matters of Local Concern -. This is where Councillors raise issues that have been brought to their attention by members of the public or are matters that they feel need discussion or action.

The County Councillor for the Shirenewton community is Louise Brown, who also attends the meetings and acts as a link with the County Council for all local issues