Representatives of three community groups within Monmouth met last week with the County Council about concerns for the future of the listed building at 20 Monnow Street, next to Lloyds Bank.

We have now written as follows to both the County Council and the Town Council to put our concerns on record.

We are sure that the County Council would agree that, although the private owner faces some difficult financial choices, from a public interest point of view, the priority is to preserve the building and the archaeology beneath it.

We are concerned that, as we understand it, the County Council has not so far over the last three years requested the owner to carry out even basic work to make the building weather tight. Simply clearing the rainwater goods and closing the windows are obvious low-cost steps.

Our even greater concern is to see that the County Council will not be complicit in a repeat of the 1986 disgraceful and unlawful demolition of the Kwik Save building on Monnow Street. The history of 20 Monnow Street may be suspiciously similar to Kwik Save: in that case a Grade II listed building; an owner who seemed to have no interest in saving the building or the archaeology; the building suddenly being declared unsafe; a District Council (as was) that seemed more interested in placating the owner than preserving the public heritage of Monmouth; the demolition of a listed building without consent and the destruction of archaeology of national importance. 

Please would the County Council reassure our group members and the wider public of Monmouth that this history is not going to repeat itself at 20 Monnow Street?

Monmouth Civic SocietyMonmouth Archaeological SocietyMonmouth 2020Vision Group