RESUBMITTED plans for a £7.5m Pembrokeshire holiday park extension after a high court judgement overturned a previous council approval have been refused.
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”.
After that an application was resubmitted by Heritage Leisure Development (Wales) Ltd, through agent Lichfields, aimed at addressing issues raised in the recent judgement; the application before the October 7meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, again recommended for refusal.
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”.
Speaking at the October meeting, agent Helen Ashby-Rigway said the scheme was a “bespoke proposal that will not be replicated or set a precedent,” adding by quoting some of the objections: “The objectors have preconceived ideas of this being tacky and visitors being ‘low-spend fish and chip people’.
“The client has invested millions [in the site currently] and wants to invest millions more. There’s no reason why the planning committee should come to a different decision this time round.”
Speaking on behalf of the Stepaside & Pleasant Valley Residents’ Group, Dr Trish Cormack said the majority of local residents objected; grounds including the impact on the rural character of the area, traffic generation, and visual amenity.
She warned going against planning policy should be reserved for “extreme reasons,” such as the delivery of new schools rather than holiday park extensions, adding the area had one of the highest densities of caravan sites already, with 428 pitches on the mile-long route to the beach, and another 252 in a one-mile radius.
Local member Cllr Alistair Cameron moved the scheme be refused, saying: “The court judgement is a major threat. Do the net economic benefits justify departure from the local development plan? The officer recommendation is supported by two community councils and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) and many objectors. We need to listen to the strong local objection against this.”
Members refused the scheme by nine votes to two.
