Plans for 12 new lodges at a Pembrokeshire holiday park are expected to be refused, in part due to concerns about the impact on a historic castle associated with the Mabinogion.

James Powell, of Brookside & Castlewood Holiday Park, Narberth is seeking permission for 12 self-catering lodges, and associated works, as an extension of the existing park, on the outskirts of the town.

The application is recommended for refusal when it comes before Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, meeting on April 23.

A report for committee members says: “The application site is prominent and open to view in the wider landscape. The greater part of the existing Holiday Park is located to the south of the application site within a wooded valley and hidden from wider view. It is also located outside of the defined Settlement Boundary of Narberth. Public Rights of Way (PRoW) pass to the north and east of the site; and to the south through the Holiday Park.”

Narberth Town Council has objected due to the loss of  public right of way to Tabernacle Lane, Narberth.

The report adds: “The applicant has advanced a case that the proposed development should be assessed [against policy] on the basis that the holiday units are not caravans and that the application site is well related to Narberth by virtue of a public footpath that the connects the site with Castle Terrace/Market Street at the southern end of the town.”

However, officers have disputed the units should be treated as buildings, saying: “The submitted designs clearly illustrate timber clad static caravan units.”

Heneb (formerly Dyfed Archaeological Trust) has objected, considering the impact on the castle and conservation area have been “underplayed,” and the council’s Historic Buildings & Conservation Officer says the impact on the castle and conservation area would be ‘Very High’ and ‘High’ respectively.

Natural Resources Wales has also raised “significant concerns,” saying: “We note foul water disposal is proposed via connection to a pre-existing system, rather than connecting to the mains sewer. However, the site is within a sewered area. The installation of private sewage treatment facilities within publicly sewered areas is not normally considered environmentally acceptable because of the greater risk of failures leading to pollution of the water environment compared to public sewerage systems.”

The report, outlining the reasons for refusal, concludes: “It is apparent that some economic benefit will derive from the proposed development, but the applicant has not sought to quantify it.

“However, it is also apparent that the proposed development will have negative social impacts in terms of access for people with disabilities; and negative environmental impacts in terms of landscape character and appearance, historic assets, and the Afon Cleddau SAC.”

The castle in the Pembrokeshire town of Narberth – now twinned with the Shropshire town of Ludlow – is mentioned in the Mabinogion as the place where Rhiannon, mother of hero Pryderi, was imprisoned when her newborn child is abducted, and she is accused of infanticide.

SHOCK analysis by the Labour Party has revealed more than 1,000 shoplifting offences are being committed across England and Wales every day – equating to an offence almost every minute of the day.

Yet separate Freedom of Information requests submitted by the party to police forces suggest that charges have fallen by a quarter over the past five years.

Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, Henry Tufnell, was out visiting local businesses in Tenby last week (April 19) to hear about the challenges presented by shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Henry Tufnell, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, said: “Pembrokeshire relies upon local businesses to grow our local economy, support jobs, and drive tourism. Today’s stats are clear: the Conservatives have lost control.

“Labour has a plan to ensure our town centres are a safe, enjoyable place for Pembrokeshire residents to spend time in. Coupled with the Welsh Labour Government’s Transforming Towns scheme, which will provide £27 million by 2025 in South West Wales towards funding projects to regenerate and support our town centres, Labour’s priority is breathing life back into our high streets.”

Philippa Thompson, Labour’s Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for Dyfed Powys Police, joined with members of the Co-operative Party and USDAW, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers, to campaign for stronger protections for retail workers.

Today’s announcement comes shortly after the UK government finally committed to introduce a new offence for assault of a retail worker, which Labour, the Co-op and USDAW have called for, for more than a decade.

Labour’s Police and Crime Commissioner candidate for Dyfed Powys Police, Philippa Thompson, said:

“A Labour Government in Westminster means we’ll see more police on the streets, a crackdown on anti-social behaviour, and on retail crime. As a Labour & Co-operative Party candidate, today I am campaigning with USDAW to strengthen protections for retail workers against the assault and abuse they face at work.

It has taken the Conservatives ten years to heed what Labour, the Co-operative Party and USDAW have been saying, and introduce a specific offence for assault of a retail worker. The Tories have run out of steam and run out of ideas, and it’s time for a change. Only Labour can deliver that change.”

Since September, Labour has been calling for the Tories to scrap their Shoplifter’s Charter, which is leaving criminals to steal with impunity.

The rule, brought in by Theresa May in 2014, introduced a new category of ‘low-value shoplifting’ to describe theft of goods worth under £200 and has led to police deprioritising enforcement in these cases – even where there are repeat offences or organised shoplifting. This has left businesses and retail workers at the mercy of criminals.
 
Alongside removing the Tories’ £200 rule, Labour has vowed to put 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs back on the streets and introduce a Community Policing Guarantee to tackle shoplifting.

Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said: “Under the Tories too many communities and high streets are being blighted by staggering increases in shoplifting, but charge rates are going down. That means more criminals are getting away with it and more local businesses are paying the price.
 
“The Conservative government has decimated neighbourhood policing, leaving our town centres unprotected, and they are still refusing to get rid of the £200 rule, which is encouraging repeat offending and organised gangs of shoplifters.
 
“Labour will scrap the Tories’ Shoplifter’s Charter and bring in a Community Policing Guarantee, with 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs to crackdown on shoplifting and keep the public safe.”

A RETROSPECTIVE call to keep a 160-person wedding venue tipi, where guests are greeted by alpacas, teddy bear sheep and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, is expected to be turned down by Pembrokeshire planners next week.

Mr R Lloyd and Ms C Davies are seeking permission for the retention of a seasonal wedding events venue with the siting of a tipi and formation of ancillary parking area on land next to Redberth Gardens, Redberth, near Tenby.

Members of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, meeting on April 23, are recommended to refuse the retrospective application for the ‘Serenity Garden’ tipi venue, erected in August 2023.

Serenity Garden, on its website, says the tipi offers a “very special wedding venue, set in the heart of the Pembrokeshire countryside,” with “friendly resident alpacas, teddy bear sheep, goats, ducks and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs” greeting guests.

The site says the tipi offers “an enchanting setting for wedding feasts and dancing,” when lit at night by twinkling lights.

A planning statement supporting the application says it is anticipated that there would be approximately 15 wedding events during the season; the venue open 11am-11pm Monday –Saturday.

Concerns about the application have been raised by nearby St Florence Community Council, which said it was disappointed at the retrospective nature of the application, and that no details of a pond associated with the scheme were on the plans, with no drainage details, and a need to consult with Public Protection on potential noise control.

Seven letters of concern from the public were also raised, on issues including the potential impact on local residents, no site notice, added traffic, no local benefits, security concerns, and claims that bookings and deposits are already being taken for events.

A report for planners states: “The tipi comprises four interlinked sections with a height of 3.5 metres. The tipi has canopy openings to the east elevation facing towards the access path which meanders from the car park area to the north. A car park area has been formed along the northern part of the site and is accessed via an internal road which serves adjoining holiday lodges.

“Whilst the tipi is described as a temporary structure, it would have a level of permanence in that it would be erected in early April and remain on site until the end of October to minimise the effort of dismantling it after each planned event.”

It concludes: “The proposal represents an unjustified form of development in a countryside location. In addition, the application fails to include sufficient information to demonstrate that the suitable drainage infrastructure can be incorporated into the site, that noise levels would not have a detrimental impact on local amenity and that biodiversity would be protected and enhanced.”