Campaigners have lost their bid to block the Viridor waste incinerator at Trident Park, Splott, Cardiff.  Their appeal against a High Court decision was perhaps the last chance of stopping this Prosiect Gwyrdd method of dealing with residual waste from SE Wales.  The plant will come into use in 2015, claiming to power 50,000 homes.

The Magor Action Group on Rail (MAGOR) is aiming to raise £20,000 via Crowdfunder.co.uk towards a feasibility study for a new station to serve Magor and Undy, named Magor Walkway as the group hopes most users will walk to the station.  In the new National Transport Plan Magor is one of 14 new station proposals in SE Wales (including Caerleon and Llanwern) listed for consideration and prioritisation in the next 5 – 30 years.

Newport City Council’s Local Development Plan has now been judged sound by a planning inspector and will be recommended for adoption in January.  Details at http://www.newport.gov.uk/en/Planning-Housing/Planning/Local-Development-Plan/Local-Development-Plan.aspx.  Unlike the Monmouthshire LDP, which has an end date of 2021, that for Newport covers the period from now to 2026.

Monmouthshire CC is considering applying for a 25 acre solar farm at its Oak Grove Farm at Crick.  The council is consulting on a proposed community fund that would receive about £5000 a year from the farm’s income to support community initiatives.  More information at http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/2014/12/08/development-solar-farm-oak-grove-farm-crick-np26-4ut.

Monmouthshire CC has abandoned its plans for a 1.2km off-road cycle track at Gilwern Outdoor Education Centre.  The council’s head of Leisure, Tourism and Heritage, Ian Saunders, said: “After careful consideration the Gilwern cycle track scheme has proven too difficult to develop and other sites are being investigated, although the funding of any new proposal has not been agreed.” Cost and environmental considerations such as the National Park’s Dark Skies policy have contributed to the decision.

Mabey Bridge’s renewables section, which builds wind turbine towers at Chepstow, is on the market at the same time as its bridge building site in the town is to close – that site is the subject of a current planning application for redevelopment.  Bridge-building will continue at Lydney and the renewables section is being sold as a going concern, though the UK government’s moves against on-shore wind power have undermined the optimism with which the plant opened about three years ago.

The Welsh government’s new National Transport Plan has been published at http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/transport/2014/141210NationalTransportPlan/?lang=en for consultation by transport minister Edwina Hart. It sets outs priorities for roads and public transport projects in the next five to 30 years for the whole of Wales and will sit alongside local transport plans (LTP) being published by local authorities.  Responses by 11 March – though it says little about Monmouthshire.  The County Council is preparing its LTP for submission by the end of January.

SevernWye Energy Agency is offering £23-30k pa for Place Coordinators at Tredegar and Llandrindod Wells for a 14 month contract to empower communities to talk about and tackle environmental inequalities.  This is part of a Welsh Government funded programme called Cynefin and you can get full details from sandraB@severnwye.org.uk.  Deadline 5 January.

Monmouthshire county Council is to hold another series of events in January to let you have your say on the savings they may have to make in 2015/16 – details of the events are at http://www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/2014/12/17/monmouthshire-county-council-engage-public-201516-budget or maybe at their new social network http://www.monmouthshire.madeopen.co.uk/ (worth a visit, worth using).  Among the measures being proposed are the end of grey rubbish bags (you’ll have to provide your own) and separate nappy collections, charging for pavement cafes and highway advertising, and a merger of one-stop shops and libraries (with less staff).