Sir Fynwy
Steel buildings in Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is rolling, well-farmed border country with two protected landscapes: the Wye Valley AONB along the eastern edge, and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park in the north-west around Abergavenny. That means a lot of the county has a planning authority that will look hard at where a building sits and what it looks like. Farming is mixed — arable, beef and sheep — and there is steady equestrian work. The coalfield only touches the county at its western edge.
Buildings designed, supplied and erected by South West Steel Buildings across Monmouthshire, including Abergavenny, Monmouth, Chepstow, Usk, Caldicot and Raglan.
- Planning authority
- Council and Park
- Monmouthshire County Council, or the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority inside the Park.
- Protected landscape
- Yes, in part
- Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the Wye Valley AONB
- On the coalfield
- At the edge
- Check the site on the mining map.
- Drainage approval
- The council
- Needed at 100 m² or more.
What to check first in Monmouthshire
First, which planning authority? The north-west around Abergavenny is in the National Park, and the Wye Valley along the eastern side is an AONB, so a lot of the county is protected landscape where siting and colour matter. Horses and mixed farming bring a good share of equestrian and storage work, and equestrian buildings always need a planning application.
Planning in Monmouthshire
Most of Monmouthshire comes under Monmouthshire County Council. The part inside Bannau Brycheiniog National Park — the north-west of the county, around Abergavenny and the Black Mountains — comes under the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority instead, which is the planning authority there and looks closely at the siting and appearance of any new building.
The rules themselves are Welsh, not English — 465 m² on 5 hectares or more, a 28-day notice, no Class Q — and are set out in our planning guide for farm buildings in Wales.
Garden buildings. Monmouthshire includes protected land — Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the Wye Valley AONB. There, a garage or workshop at a house more than 20 m from it is limited to 10 m² under permitted development, and nothing may go beside the house. See garages and workshops.
The ground, and the coal
Monmouthshire: The edge of the South Wales coalfield runs through or near it, so a site towards that edge is worth checking on the mining authority’s map.
In the Mining Remediation Authority's Development High Risk Area, most planning applications need a Coal Mining Risk Assessment, and the pads may need a ground investigation first. The authority's guidance explains how to check a site.
The groundworks calculator works out the base for your own slope.
Drainage approval in Monmouthshire
At 100 m² or more, drainage needs SuDS Approval Body approval first — for Monmouthshire, Monmouthshire County Council. Roofing an existing yard? See the £40/m² yard roofing grant.
Buildings we put up in Monmouthshire
Questions about building in Monmouthshire
Who decides planning for a farm building in Monmouthshire?
Monmouthshire County Council for most of Monmouthshire; the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority for land inside Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, which covers the north-west of the county, around Abergavenny and the Black Mountains.
Is Monmouthshire on the coalfield?
The edge of the South Wales coalfield runs through or near it, so a site towards that edge is worth checking on the mining authority’s map.
Who approves drainage for a new building in Monmouthshire?
Monmouthshire County Council, as the SuDS Approval Body for Monmouthshire, for anything covering 100 square metres or more.
Do you build in Abergavenny?
Yes. South West Steel Buildings design, supply and erect buildings across Monmouthshire, including Abergavenny, Monmouth, Chepstow, Usk, Caldicot and Raglan.
Tell us what you want to put up in Monmouthshire
Rough span and length is enough. We reply the same day, wherever you are in Monmouthshire.