A NEW bid for levelling-up cash is being prepared by Monmouthshire council to help tackle long-standing traffic issues in Chepstow.

Monmouthshire council is developing a bid to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to support projects aimed at tackling traffic congestion in the Chepstow Transport Study.

The county council is also preparing to submit revised bids to improve Caldicot and Monmouth town centres after these were unsuccessful in the first round of schemes.

The bid for transport improvements will support the development of a transport hub and active travel improvements – such as walking and cycling routes – which have been backed in the latest stage of the Chepstow Transport Study.

A separate bid has been submitted for Welsh Government funding of £450,000 to support plans for a bypass in Chepstow, which was the third solution backed by the study.

Other funding options for the bypass will be considered if this bid is unsuccessful, according to a council report.

Work is progressing on plans for a transport hub and active travel improvements, and if recommendations are supported, the schemes could be ready to bed implemented by the summer.

A council report says the opportunity to bid for levelling-up cash is “an ideal opportunity to secure funding to take the projects forward”.

The Levelling Up Fund provides support for projects centres around town centre regeneration, improving transport connectivity and maintaining cultural and heritage assets, with the second round of bids due to open in spring.

Local authorities are placed into categories one, two or three, depending on their identified level of need, with category one deemed in most need of investment.

Monmouthshire was placed into category one in the first round of bidding, and feedback on the bids said this was “an obvious disadvantage”, according to a council report.

The council was told the bids were “well presented but would benefit from further detail in some aspects”.

The council’s cabinet will meet next week to agree to resubmitting revised bids for projects in Caldicot and Monmouth, alongside developing a bid for transport improvements in Chepstow.