A call for an all-weather horse-riding arena and self-catering ‘pods’ near Pembrokeshire’s historic Lamphey Bishop’s Palace & Lamphey Court has been refused.
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, James White sought permission for a 20 by 40 metre all-weather turnout and horse-riding arena along with two accommodation pods at Lower Lamphey Park, The Ridgeway, Lamphey, near Pembroke.
The proposed site forms part of a walled garden and agricultural land to the south of Lower Lamphey Park under 500m from Scheduled Monument, Lamphey Bishop’s Palace, Lamphey and inside the boundaries of Registered Park and Garden, Lamphey Bishop’s Palace & Lamphey Court.
The walled garden is located approximately 75m to the south of Grade-II-Listed Buildings, Barn at Upper Lamphey Barn and Grade-II*-Listed Building, Four Mediaeval House at Upper Lamphey Park Farm.
The application was supported by local community council Lamphey, but Natural Resources Wales (NRW) raised concerns regarding the location of the proposal within a Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) catchment.
The council’s landscape officer – objected, saying there was an “under-representation of site features for the walled garden, lack of cultural appreciation of building and landscape qualities of the garden and lack of design input to the horse area”.
An officer report recommending refusal said an initial description in the application of the ‘pods’ being temporary had, by email from the applicant, being confirmed as not, being secured to the ground with waste connections, their intended use being self-catered units.
The application was refused on the grounds the pods would “result in an unjustified and harmful impact on the character and appearance of the open countryside,” and, due to the lack of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) it is not possible to conclude that there would not be an adverse effect on the historic environment.
It was also refused for reasons including insufficient information provided to conclude that increases in nutrient inputs in the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC can be ruled out, and in the absence of an appropriate habitat and protected species survey “the proposal fails to demonstrate that the development would not adversely affect protected species, thereby reducing biodiversity”.
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