PLANS for nearly 150 new homes, a care home and hotel beside an A48 bottleneck would only cause a ‘modest’ increase in traffic, it has been claimed.

A planning application for 146 homes, a care home and hotel at Mounton Road next to the Highbeech roundabout on the edge of Chepstow has been submitted to Monmouthshire Council.

The proposed development forms part of a planning blueprint intended to provide 2,000 new homes across Monmouthshire which is currently being examined in public by two inspectors.

Inspector Julie de-Courcey described the roundabout as a “known congestion pinch point”.

Council director Craig O’Connor said a traffic analysis by Transport for Wales had estimated the impact of the entire development plan.

“The increase in traffic volumes on the Highbeech roundabout, the strategic assessment indicated, is a very modest increase of between two and to four per cent,” said Mr O’Connor.

The hearing also heard that while the Highbeech roundabout is at capacity the strategic assessment is based on the existing road network and hasn’t accounted for planned improvements.

Council deputy leader Cllr Paul Griffiths said the assessment also included the likely impact of new developments proposed in the plan near Caldicot and at Monmouth.

Monmouthshire county councillor Louise Brown (Con, Shirenewton) said there had been more than 300 objections to the Mounton Road site and added there are no commitments or funding in place for improvements to public transport, or the M48, as suggested by the council, to ease congestion in the area.