THE views of residents on the future of Abergavenny Livestock Market were ignored by the Welsh government, according to campaigners.

A judicial review, brought by Jennifer Long, the founder of the group Keep Abergavenny Livestock Market (KALM) heard yesterday that Welsh government ministers agreed to repeal Victorian legislation that requires Abergavenny Livestock Market to remain in its current location.

Monmouthshire County Council granted planning permission in 2011 to allow a Morrisons supermarket and a new library to be built on the site, but this required sections of the Abergavenny Improvement Act of 1854 to be repealed.

A new market would be built in Raglan or at another location in Monmouthshire, the review heard.

Mr John Steel QC, representing Mrs Long at Cardiff Civic Justice Centre, said that, although the minister Carl Sargeant had stated he would carry out consultation into repealing parts of Act, the consultation did not take into account the consequences of closing the market.

“The consequences for some would be extreme in terms of loss of livelihood,” he said.

Mr Clive Lewis QC, representing the Welsh ministers, said the consultation documents made it clear the Welsh government did not take a view on the future of the livestock market, but was repealing provisions which were “obsolete, unnecessary and which had been substantially superseded”

by other legislation.

He said no other county in Wales “or beyond” was subject to this Act and by repealing parts of it, Monmouthshire County Council would be in the same situation as the other local authorities in Wales.

“The Welsh ministers were entitled to take the view it had become obsolete and impeded the council’s ability to decide where in its area to hold a market,” he said.

Proceeding