MONMOUTHSHIRE council will carry out further investigation work into shops and eateries in Chepstow before pushing ahead with controversial plans for a tea room in the tourist information centre.

Members of the Lower Wye Area Committee were this week told how work is progressing to determine the extent of refreshment and eating facilities in the town.

Investigations by the council will asses the type, number and opening times of local shops, cafes, hotels and pubs - all competing for the tourist business provided by Chepstow Castle.

Further work is to be carried out to asses coach companies and the extent and needs of their operations in Chepstow, say the council.

Once the investigation work is complete, officers will be developing firm proposals for the unused exhibition room in Chepstow tourist information centre.

Plans for a tea room caused outrage amongst traders in the summer who said they were opposed to the council going into business against ratepayers.

Monmouthshire council say they will not be running the tea room and the contract will be put out to tender. In the last few months the council has received three letters of objection from local businesses and a petition signed by more than 48 people in support of the tea room.

Tim Macdermott, area manager for the Lower Wye, said: "Obviously the council does not wish to introduce facilities that would be detrimental to existing businesses in Chepstow.

"However, the needs of visitors to the town must be met if they are going to stay in the town, make return visits and tell others of the good experience they had in Chepstow.

"It is these visitors who provide the revenue to enable tourist dependant businesses to survive."

Cllr Verona Bamford noted the decline in bays for coaches to park next to the Castle and the reluctance of some visitors to walk from the castle to the town centre.

She said: "People using the car park do not want to walk that far up into the town and you were looking at some system where busses were dropping passengers off up in the town so that they walk down to the castle."

Cllr Cliff Meredith added: "I would like to see something where they were dropping passengers at the bus station and people walk down, looking at the shops on the way."