POTENTIAL issues surrounding the ongoing application to improve the Drill Hall application could cause issues if a £1.1 million grant is approved.

An application under the Big Lottery’s Community Asset Transfer 2 scheme could see the Drill Hall awarded £1.1 million to transform the hall.

However issues which have been raised by Welsh Water surrounding nearby sewage pipes could mean extra work has to take place if the grant is approved.

If successful, the hall would benefit from an upgraded roof, new kitchen and facilities, while also allowing for the hiring of a full-time hall manager and fund courses and classes at the hall.

The Drill Hall has already received £50,000 from the Big Lottery to fund the next stage of a program, but the bid appeared to be in jeopardy when concerns surrounding transparency arose in the Drill Hall Management Committee, which organised the bid.

In August, councillors voted to transfer the Drill Hall from Monmouthshire County Council (MCC) to Chepstow Town Council, which will allow the lottery bid to go ahead.

It is expected the awards under the scheme will be made in December.

Work which has already been undertaken for the planning application, in part funded by the £50,000, has now been submitted to MCC.

Concerns have been raised by Welsh Water about existing sewage pipes which run underneath the planned extension for the Drill Hall.

In a letter to Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department seen by the Beacon, a Welsh Water development control officer requests that no “operational development” takes place within three metres either side of the existing sewer.

There is a possibility that the sewage pipe could be diverted, but the letter requests that, if the planning application is approved, conditions are made in the plans to ensure no surface water from the roof makes its way into the sewage system.

The plans have received a number of objections, which include concerns surrounding public access being effected by the extension and the location of the bins store.