Resubmitted plans for a £7.5m Pembrokeshire holiday park extension after a high court judgement overturned a council approval are yet again recommended for refusal.
In late 2023 councillors approved a contentious application by Heritage Leisure Development (Wales) Ltd for works including the installation of 48 bases for holiday lodges, a spa facility at a former pub, holiday apartments, a café and cycle hire, equestrian stables, a manège and an associated office at Heritage Park, Pleasant Valley/Stepaside.
It was said the scheme, next to the historic remains of the 19th century Stepaside ironworks and colliery, would create 44 jobs.
The final decision was made at full council after members of the planning committee had twice supported the scheme against officer recommendations of refusal, based on the Local Development Plan, included the site being outside a settlement area.
Since that approval, a successful legal challenge was launched by Stepaside & Pleasant Valley Residents’ Group (SPVRG Ltd), who had objected to the original application.
A March High Court hearing presided by Judge Jarman KC recently ruled against the council decision, quashing that approval, and saying “the reason given by the council did not deal adequately with the important principal issues of development in the countryside, sustainability and precedent”.
It said the “major departure from countryside and sustainability policies is likely to have a lasting relevance for the question of policy in future cases,” and the “council’s resolution [was] simply to endorse the resolution of the planning committee, which predated the fuller report of the head of planning to the council.”
An application has now been resubmitted by Heritage Leisure Development (Wales) Ltd, through agent Lichfields, aimed at addressing issues raised in the recent judgement; the application initially to be heard at the September meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, again recommended for refusal.
In its lengthy submissions, Lichfields says “it is clear that members can reach a decision that is contrary to the development plan without setting a precedent”.
It added: “However, given that there remains a conflict with the plan policies, there is also a need to consider the nature of the 2024 scheme that comprise unique circumstances that mean that the decision would not set a precedent.”
Amroth Community Council has once again objected to the scheme and officers recommended refusal on similar grounds to previously, with a warning that “attaching significant weight to the limited benefits of this scheme would set an undesirable precedent and would make it difficult for the council to resist similar proposals”.
The application was deferred in September pending a site visit; the scheme now returning to the October 7 meeting, where it is again recommended for refusal.
The site visit call came from Cllr Simon Hancock, who pointed out there were many new members on the planning committee since a previous site meeting took place.
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