A CALL to retain a shed for a mobile pizza oven which uses flour from one of only two working water mills in Wales has been made to Pembrokeshire planners.
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Emma Williams seeks permission to retain a timber storage shed used for a mobile pizza oven at The Mill, Mill Street, St Dogmaels.
The timber shed is situated directly adjacent to the millpond in the centre of St Dogmaels, on a road known as The Shingrig.
The millpond forms part of the domestic curtilage of the adjoining mill house and both the mill pond and the adjoining community garden are owned by the applicant who runs the nearby St Dogmeals Mill as a family business and resides in the neighbouring Mill House, opposite the ruins of a former Benedictine abbey.
The mill itself ceased operation in 1926. In 1975 the Hall family (the applicant’s parents) purchased the former mill, mill-house and the site of the former mill pond with the intention to renovate the properties and bring the mill back into operation. By 1981 the mill had been restored and the pond had been emptied powering the mill since that time. Cadw has graded the mill, which is understood to be one of only two working commercial water mills in Wales as Grade II*.
The shed was constructed in late 2024 and in early 2025 Pembrokeshire County Council Planning Enforcement contacted the applicant to inform them planning permission was required for the shed, with a conservation officer later saying it was deemed to have a negative visual impact, the applicants saying was made without visiting the site.
The application is supported by St Dogmaels Community Council, which is calling for a site visit ahead of any decision, emphasising that Cadw states the design in the current proposal will not have an unacceptably damaging effect on the nearby scheduled monument, St Dogmaels Abbey, nor will it impact the setting of Old Castle Mound.
A supporting statement through agent Johnston Planning Ltd says the mobile pizza oven is operated on an occasional basis as part of the wider mill operation.
“The structure stands in a rich historic environment within the confines of the St Dogmeals Conservation Area and in proximity to a number of listed buildings (The Vicarage, The Bier House, The Old Coach House & The Mill) as well as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (St Dogmeals Abbey) and whilst preliminary discussions with county council officers regarding the retention of the structure have unfortunately been negative an application is nevertheless made for this purpose as (to a reasonable observer) the works are considered minor in scope and not to detract visually from the character of the host conservation area.
“Indeed, in addition this submission argues that the use itself has a beneficial impact on the character of the conservation by adding it its general vitality. Whilst the shed does not physically impact any heritage assets nor is it specifically within the curtilage of a listed building the high quality of the surrounding historic environment is acknowledged.”
The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.
