A Monmouthshire village’s oldest pub has been left in a “terrible state” according to the old regulars who rallied outside the pub on Monday.

The friends, who would usually be found at The Corn Exchange, in Gilwern, reunited on Saturday afternoon in an attempt to raise awareness of the importance of the local pub and why it meant so much to the community when it was open.

A banner that they had attached to the railings of the old pub, which dates back to the 1800s, was removed within hours of the demonstration. But a planning application that sought permission to transform it into flats has since been withdrawn, with a new application yet to be made.

Robin Collins regularly travelled from Pontlottyn for a pint or two at his favourite watering hole, and said he misses the chance to catch up with friends.

“I would have been here two or three times per week and I loved coming here before it closed,” he said.

“The people that come here are tremendous and I have never seen a bit of bother. It’s the friendliest pub I have ever seen and it is such a shame that it now seems it will be turned into a house.”

In May, an application was made to the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park authority to consider which entailed the transformation of the pub into four apartments, with construction of one semi-detached house on the site of the old car park adjacent to the building.

The traditional boozer had originally gone on the market in 2023 for the sum of £375,000 and reopened in 2024 to the locals’ joy. But the oldest pub in the village closed again at the start of October this year, as the new owner seeks to turn it into a residential premises.

In documents seen by the Chronicle, an application to squeeze four apartments into the building has been withdrawn. The same correspondence also confirmed that a fresh planning application to convert the former Public House into a single dwelling with off-road parking would be made.

However, that application is yet to be submitted and very little has happened neither in nor out of the building which villagers say made them feel welcome.

“One of the telling things I heard at the demonstration was about a lady who thought this was the only pub she felt comfortable walking inside on her own,” said David Morgan, who has lived in Gilwern since 2008.

“Everybody felt as though they were in their comfort zone.”

“But there are no notices for a new application being advertised in the village, so we saw the chance to make a protest. It is also about letting people know we are taking notice of the situation, and will not take this lying down. I am personally appalled at the mess that has been left around the pub, the flower boxes are still there and the for sale sign is still up.”

The group says they will make their objections known when a new application is submitted, and it isn’t a given that planning permission is granted. They say they will continue to make their voices heard.