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A councillor says he's been "attacked" on social media after he backed a housing development in Monmouthshire . Labour councillor Peter Strong said he'd received a "number of personal attacks" including people calling him a "little p***k" and a "washed up cruise ship act". Mr Strong said he was insulted several times over proposed housing plans in Monmouthshire. The development plan includes proposals for a 770-home site at Crick Road, north of Portskewett, and 146 homes at Mounton Road, Chepstow , among 2,100 new homes planned over the next 11 years. Half of the new properties would need to be affordable, with detailed planning applications required. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter Councillor Strong used his decisive vote as chairman to send the plan to the Welsh Government for examination, a key step in the lengthy process of approving it for use as Monmouthshire County Council's planning policy. The pivotal vote followed a nearly five-hour council meeting that ended in a tie, with 22 councillors in favour of submitting the plan and an equal number voting against doing so. It left Rogiet member Cllr Strong to use his casting vote to break the deadlock. His decision sparked a furious backlash on social media after Portskewett's Conservative councillor Lisa Dymock shared an update about the result on her Facebook page, writing: "Unfortunately, in line with the council's constitution the chair, Cllr Peter Strong gets the casting vote and voted in favour." Others responding to the post branded Cllr Strong a "little p***k", described him as resembling a "like a washed up cruise ship act" and "circus performer", while others labelled him an "idiot" and "Labour loon" and questioned his motives. Telling of the reaction to his vote the Labour councillor said: "A number of personal and political attacks on me have been made on social media particular in relation to the proposed development in the Portskewett north area. I reject the personal attacks as entirely unfounded and stand by my decision to support the local development plan." The former history teacher, who worked at Caldicot Comprehensive, said he has participated in numerous local groups in Portskewett and Sudbrook as well as conducting guided history walks and talks to the local primary school , and believes his track record of "caring for Portskewett speaks for itself". While the Conservative group has opposed the development proposal, which has been spearheaded by the council's Labour administration, he challenged assertions made by Cllr Dymock that it will undermine the village's "rural identity, and irreversibly change the character of our area". Cllr Strong said the new properties will be situated away from the village centre and added: "If the plan is fulfilled it will form a community in its own right and in all likelihood a new council ward linked to Crick rather than Portskewett." During the council debate, Conservative critics argued that the plan has not considered the lack of local infrastructure, from already congested roads that would struggle to handle increased traffic, to demands on services such as GPs and dentists. But the plan could include a new primary school for the area as well as a village centre. Cllr Strong, a Caldicot resident who relies on many of the same services, said the council is looking to improve the road network but stated: "It is unrealistic to insist that all these issues should be sorted first. Infrastructure developments normally evolve alongside housing development." During the council debate the Conservatives were also criticised as their plan, which they had been working on before losing control of the council in the 2022 local government elections, proposed even more housing across Monmouthshire, leading to its rejection by the Welsh Government. Chepstow Castle and Larkfield Labour councillor Paul Griffiths, who is responsible for the cabinet, said the Conservative-led plan proposed new housing in Chepstow "from the racecourse to the motorway". The other main housing sites identified in the plan, which must now undergo independent examination before the council can be asked to approve it as its planning policy next year, are 500 homes east of Abergavenny at 270 at Dixton Road, Leasbrook in Monmouth.
