PROGRESS on a Co-Op food store in Monmouth has stalled after councillors opted to defer deciding on the development.

It could see 39 new jobs in the town on land to the east of Rockfield Road, along with a 34-space car park.

But Monmouthshire council’s planning committee said further highways assessments on nearby roads had to be undertaken to ensure pedestrians would be safe once it has been put up.

The committee’s chairwoman Cllr Ruth Edwards said: “Highways should definitely look at this again. The cars whizz up and down…and there has always been an accident waiting to happen there. The Rockfield Road there is hazardous. I would rather prevent the accident before it happens.”

A report into the plan said the new supermarket is unlikely to impact on other shops in the town because it is expected to serve nearby residents on the Rockfield estate.

Currently two poultry sheds and a bungalow stand on the site and they would be demolished if consent is granted.

A neighbour, opposed to the scheme, wrote to the council to say that although the sheds and bungalow are “not the most attractive to look at, they are more in keeping with a rural area than a new convenience store.”