NEW affordable houses could be built on land at Mynyddbach near Shirenewton.

Cabinet decided last Wednesday (2nd April) that the land measuring 0.12 hectares should be sold to Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA) at less than market value.

Monmouthshire's cabinet member for housing, Councillor Giles Howard, said: "High property values in Monmouthshire means access to affordable housing can be a real problem for many.

"Innovative projects like this help people to live in or return to the communities where they grew up, and stay close to the support of family and friends.

"Anything we can do to help in this regard is welcome."

However, County Councillor Graham Down has spoken out against the decision made by cabinet to sell the land under market price.

He said: "We all recognise that there is a need for social and less unaffordable housing, particularly in areas like Shirenewton where house prices are very high.

"However, I shall be asking for this decision to be reconsidered.

"Whilst the loss of valuable community land which is outside the council's own development area is regrettable, I have to accept that the cabinet's mind is implacably made up on that.

"My concern is that the council will not be getting a proper value for the land.

"It's bad enough for the local community to be told that it's losing an area of well used recreation land, let alone that it's being given away for a fraction of its true worth.

"The whole idea of transferring responsibility for housing to an arm's length housing association is that council tax payers would no longer be responsible for funding, and that the housing association could raise the money that it needed in the commercial market.

"Yet here we are, offering a subsidy worth tens of thousands of pounds at a time when we are being told that there are so many important projects which are unaffordable.

"The decision simply makes no sense."

The decision to sell the land to MHA can be 'called-in' if a county councillor disagrees with it.

If the decision is called-in then the plans will go before an MCC select committee.

To view the full report visit: http://www.mon">www.mon

mouthshire.gov.uk