AN APPLICATION is to be made to revamp a Chepstow play area which has fallen into a state of disrepair.

For the past four years, Monmouthshire County Council has been working closely with the Friends of Dell Park Chepstow to develop a scheme to upgrade the children’s play area located in Castle Dell, next to the Bank Street car park.

And now the council has announced it is making an application to the National Lottery Community Fund for funding to pay for improvements at the park.

When the play area was inspected by an independent assessor back in 2019, it achieved a very low score in term of 'play value'.

The proposals for the new park will, the council say, offer a much greater level of play value for local children and will enhance the environment of the wider open space.

Castle Dell is the largest area of public open space in Chepstow and provides an important traffic-free link between the town centre and the castle.

The Wye Valley Walk also runs through Castle Dell, so people who visit the town to walk this route will also benefit from the improvements proposed.

The location of the park will be altered slightly to "provide a more pleasant landscape setting and better views of the historic town wall".

Vicky Burston-Yates, chair of the friends of the Dell Park, said: “The team are so pleased to have the council’s continued support for our plans to make the Dell a destination park.

"Securing lottery funding is the all important next step and we will be working in earnest with our partners to make the application.”

Cllr Lisa Dymock, cabinet member for social wellbeing, said: “An application will be made to the National Lottery Community Fund for a grant towards the project, with other funding provided by Monmouthshire County Council and through local fundraising.

"If the bid is successful we would hope to start to carry out the works later this year.

"The project will be using play equipment manufactured mainly from more sustainable hardwood such a robinia, which is very much in keeping with the council’s climate change agenda and with this important and historic setting.”