ANOTHER proposal for a housing estate on the site of a former paper mill in Monmouthshire has been submitted – but looks set to be turned down again.

Harrow Estates and Redrow Homes want to build 212 houses on the site of the Sudbrook Paper Mill, near Portskewett.

The site is already allocated for housing in Monmouthshire council’s local development plan, which was passed in February 2014.

But council documents show there are concerns over the affordable houses builders have earmarked for the site.

Harrow Estates bought the site in March 2011 but saw an application for 340 homes turned down in October 2012, and appeals dismissed in October 2013 and May 2014.

Monmouthshire council recommend at least a quarter of all new homes built by developers in the county are allocated as affordable.

Yet, only 20 of the 212 houses in the fresh application have been designated as such, over concerns they might be difficult to sell.

The council’s housing register shows that there are currently 500 households, the majority of whom on low incomes and unable to buy on the open market, who want to move to the Portskewett area.

In an email included on the authority’s online planning portal, Monmouthshire council’s senior strategy and policy officer Shirley Wiggam wrote to planning officer Kate Young: “We do not believe that the developer has demonstrated that the site is indeed unviable and are challenging the house prices that they say they would expect from the sale of units on that site.

“All of our evidence is showing that house prices are rising in Monmouthshire and time taking to sell is decreasing. The latter shows that there is a shortage of housing in the county and that properties are selling well.”

The latest application was re-submitted after amendments were made to another one last year.

Caldicot Town Council, Portskewett Community Council and its county councillor were all opposed at the time.

In June, Cllr Peter Fox, who represents Portskewett and is Monmouthshire council’s leader, said of the proposal, which then stood at 209 houses: “It is not necessarily too many for the site to accommodate, but the infrastructure is not there to support it.

“It will definitely cause longer waits in traffic and congestion.”