Retrospective plans for a Pembrokeshire horse menage have been allowed despite being on land of a quality which normally precludes development.
In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Grant and Kayli Goddard, through agent Preseli Planning Ltd, sought retrospective permission to retain a horse menage on land South of Ferny Glen, Roch, works having been completed last March.
A supporting statement said one of the complications to the application was a predictive agricultural land classification changing the grade of the land from 3b to 2 as part of the most recent predictive classification.
Planning Policy Wales states that agricultural land of grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification, often known as Best and Most Versatile (BMV) land, should be conserved as a finite resource for the future and should only be developed if there is an overriding need for the development and either previously developed land or land in lower agricultural grades is unavailable.
The supporting statement says there were mitigating factors, the holding being a mixed use one of forestry, agriculture and equestrian use, and development elsewhere on-site would potentially give rise to loss of sensitive green infrastructure and significant levelling and excavation works.
It added: “There is a need for the development inherent with the location of the stables, but also a need for the applicant for the wellbeing and health benefits of family members. The applicant lives and works a short distance from the site and therefore the site is the most logical location and essentially the only location for the development.”
It also said the area of the land “is small and insignificant within the wider land holding and extent of agricultural land in the locality”.
An officer report recommending approval said, following an agricultural land classification (ALC) report, the Landscapes, Nature and Forestry department of Welsh Government had been consulted regarding agricultural land quality.
“The department comment that a detailed ALC field survey is not practical or representative for such a small area (<1.0ha) especially in retrospect as soils have been disturbed on site. The ALC report therefore cannot be accepted as an accurate reflection of the land quality.
“The Landscapes, Nature and Forestry department considers that due to the small area of potential predicted BMV (0.12ha), exceptionally in this case the Department does not recommend the application of BMV agricultural land policy.”
The application was conditionally approved.
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