AN ABERGAVENNY woman has slammed plans to develop walking and cycling paths through a park in the town as "daft", saying they will "ruin the place for regular users".

Monmouthshire County Council plan to change the existing paths into three metre-wide bonded tracks, to extend these wide bonded tracks across the grass for the full length of the meadows and to introduce cattle grids at all the entrances.

However, these plans have been met with substatial opposition from a group which now call themselves Save Castle Meadows.

The group formed fter the death of a dog on the newly-installed trial cattle grid.

Following the incident, more than 1,200 people signed a petition to ask for the grid to be removed.

One of the members of Save Castle Meadows is Liz Proctor, who has been outspoken on the matter.

"Monmouthshire County Council have their own plans, most daft," she said, claming that the council have "refused to listen to the public about anything".

This, she said, despite "the fact that most things they do are ruining Abergavenny".

The council have refuted this allegation, stating that "face-to-face and digital consultation events have taken place",.

"Many aspects of the scheme have been adapted based on feedback provided at each engagement stage," they said.

The latest public consultation results, in which 566 people participated, can be found at monlife.co.uk/outdoor/active-travel/consultations

However, Ms Proctor says that, far be it from liaising with the public, the council's real arm is "to spend as much money as possible on things not wanted or needed".

The park was used by many for their daily walk during the Covid pandemic and, Ms Proctor says, will "be ruined for all regular users" if the paths are improved and cattle grids installed.

Those paths, Ms Proctor says, will "effectively be turned into roads".

"Originally to be 3m wide tarmac lit roads crisscrossing the meadows to all exits where cattle grids would be installed," she said.

Such is her strength of feeling against the planned improvements, that Ms Proctor has organised another protest walk at the park.

The protest will take place on Saturday, September 2.

Demonstrators are asked to meet outside the Trading Post at 10am for "an hour's saunter round busy parts of Abergavenny, chanting and singing".

The aim, Ms Proctor said, is "to make a loud statement to everyone that many of us do not want Castle Meadows ruined".

A Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson said: “We remain committed to providing increased opportunities to support sustainable transport and promote Active Travel.

"The Llanfoist to Abergavenny Active Travel scheme remains a key strategic project towards this aim.

"The scheme has been funded by the Welsh Government through the Active Travel Fund, administered by Transport for Wales."