CAMPAIGNERS say Abergavenny's second town centre regeneration blueprint is doomed to failure because the council is not listening to residents and traders.

Pressure group Sauce(Save Abergavenny's Unique Character and Environment), which lobbied against a controversial £11 million Asda-centred retail development - rejected by planners last year - has slammed the alternative scheme as "seriously flawed" and says the whole project is in danger of "imploding".

Spokesman David Hasswell said it will oppose the plan if it stays the same.

Last week Monmouthshire council invited architects to submit plans for the new brief.

The council bumped back the planning deadline to 2009 earlier this month.

An Asda spokeswoman said the supermarket giant remains committed to the development.

The original scheme by Developer Henry Boot included an Asda store of about 25,000 sq ft, along with a cinema, library and residential units.

It was rejected by planners in October 2006 amid strong opposition, with a record 3,500 letters of objection from concerned shoppers and traders.

Henry Boot appealed, and a date was set for November 6 for a planning inspector to hear the evidence.

That appeal looks set to be dropped if a formal agreement is reached between Henry Boot and Monmouthshire council on the new brief, which now includes a commitment by Asda to divide stock into a split of 12.5 per cent of non-food items such as electronics and music and 12.5 per cent of clothing, with food making up the remaining 75 per cent.

But campaigner David Hasswell of Sauce said this was no better for traders than an earlier 70/30 split on food and non-food items, and said the shop would still take business away from the town.

"What's changed?" he said.

"The Asda plan is virtually the same except now it's a 28,000 sq ft store, and we've lost the cinema and library. What's more, there's still another 16,000 sq ft of non-food units.

"The whole consultation process has been absymal.

"We have clearly stated that we want the historic abattoir buildings kept, not demolished, and we are still awaiting a retail impact assessment and highway assessment."

A spokeswoman from Monmouthshire council said scheme "now incorporates most of the recommendations of the Forum report written by a leading SAUCE member, David Haswell".

"It is a pity SAUCE seem more concerned with fighting Monmouthshire council rather than in approaching in a positive way the news of the design competition,"she added.