CHEPSTOW town could lose trade with the closure of Beachley Barracks, the town mayor has warned.

Local councillor and mayor Paul Pavia has said the closure of the barracks, which is set to be closed by 2027 as part of armed forces cutbacks, could have impacts on the economic trade in the town and also on schools.

In the Ministry of Defence’s latest review ‘A Better Defence Estate’, which was published earlier this month, the barracks were listed as one of the 91 sites marked for disposal.

The barracks has been the home to the 1st Battalion The Rifles for the past nine years, and is now set to close by 2027, but the battalion will be moved before the site is sold.

Mr Pavia said that if it is closed earlier than 2027, it could seriously affect the town if a plan isn’t put in place.

He said: “Clearly there is a potential 10 year reprovision window within which the 1st Battalion will withdraw and the UK government must give a minimum of two years notice to its service personnel.

“If we have until 2027 to plan, then that affords us more time to assess the economic impact of withdrawal, as well as allowing us further opportunities to discuss upgrading key infrastructure with both the Welsh and UK governments should the MoD decide to sell the land off for development.

“However, if the gun is fired next year, then that puts us in a completely different situation. So a better understanding of timescales are important here so that we can plan appropriately.”

In a Chepstow Town Council meeting last week, councillors raised concerns about the economic impact on the town, in particular on the trade, as Mr Pavia said he believes around a third of services families own property in the town.

Councillors also said that schools could be impacted as well as jobs in the town.

Deputy mayor Marc Le Peltier described the closure as “saddening” and a “deep disappointment”.

He said: “I am insistent that for once Chepstow is involved in an impact survey. We are going to be following this one all the way.”