The proposals involved building a bin lorry depot site over a recreation ground, replacing a children’s playground and football pitch in the process.

The council reportedly received 22 objections from residents who expressed concerns about the project’s negative impacts on children’s play, whilst also objecting to the potential noise disruption and light pollution caused by the depot.

Emphasising the importance of preserving open green space, the council’s biodiversity officer, Sali Palmer, told Nation.Cymru that the proposed building site had been left deliberately vacant as part of a nature initiative aiming to promote wild growth in the area.

A Monmouthshire County Council spokesperson said: ‘The Council's operational depot at Caldicot is at capacity, and one of the options considered to provide additional vehicle parking was to expand into the adjacent land.

‘A planning application was submitted, which has subsequently been withdrawn in response to local residents' concerns and an alternative premise becoming available.’

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