A BID to chop down and remove six ash trees from land behind a grade II-listed former pub in Chepstow has been refused. 

Monmouthshire County Council said the ash trees on land behind the former Castle Inn are “large prominent trees with great public interest in the area” and if they were removed the character of the area, near to Chepstow Castle, would “be drastically changed”. 

It also said other mature trees have been removed from the area in recent years. 

The application was made by Ben Cocker, of Leicester-based Croker Design and Build, which asked for permission to remove the trees as they had displayed either “early symptoms” or “advanced symptoms” of ash dieback disease. 

It asked for permission to remove them to protect health and safety. 

But the council said a tree report hadn’t highlighted the stages of ash dieback or suggested other solutions such as pruning, in the hope of extending the life of the trees. 

The pub closed in 2018 and plans to convert it into a residential house were approved August 2020 with permission for four new homes at the back.