PLANS for retractable awnings to protect visitors to a Pembrokeshire village beachside café have been given the go-ahead by the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the Saundersfoot Beach Company sought permission for the erection of two manually controlled full cassette awnings at the Beachside Cafe, to the rear of the Old Chemist Inn, The Strand, Saundersfoot.

No objections were received from local community council Saundersfoot.

An officer report recommending approval said: “The café is a modern, stone-clad kiosk building, which serves café food and drinks. It faces east onto the sands of Saundersfoot Beach, to the north of Saundersfoot Harbour, with views of Saundersfoot Bay and the wider Carmarthen Bay beyond.”

It added: “The property is accessed from the beach, and through the ‘Old Chemist Inn’ and lies amongst a mixture of modern and traditional buildings within Saundersfoot Conservation Area.

“This application proposes attaching two canvas full cassette awnings to the principal (east) elevation of the kiosk building. It is considered by this authority that the proposal is acceptable, subject to suitably worded conditions and a recommendation to grant consent is made.”

The application was conditionally approved by park planners.

PLANS to turn one Pembrokeshire seaside village home into three have been refused by the national park.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Peter Parker of the nearby New Hedges-based Park House Court Nursing Home, through agent Halsall Lloyd Partnership, sought permission for the reconfiguration of Sunningdale, The Glen, Saundersfoot, from a single family house, to provide three independent dwellings.

The application also included the addition of a storey; reconfiguration of existing internal layout; removal of existing flat roof, and introduction of pitched roof and new vehicle access, along with changes to external hardstanding.

Saundersfoot Community Council objected to the scheme, saying: “There was discussion about how many properties in the Glen have greatly expanded the size of the original buildings and that there was no on-street parking at all.”

It recommended refusal on the grounds there would be a “significant need” for additional parking with the extra dwellings, there was a risk it would become a holiday let, and an established hedge would need to be removed for the extra parking spaces.

The council’s highways department also objected on highway safety grounds, “citing inadequate visibility from the proposed secondary access, insufficient turning provision within the site, and concerns regarding parking provision,” an officer report for park planners said.

The report, recommending refusal, said the scheme would see the creation of one two-bed flat, and two three-bed houses.

It said, following a site notice, members of the public had objected raising concerns including overdevelopment of the site, increase parking demands and traffic congestion, impact on neighbours, and it “could set an unwelcome precedent for similar projects in the area”.

The report said that, while the principle of the scheme is “potentially acceptable” it would represent “a significant intensification of the use of the site,” which is “compounded by the physical alterations required to facilitate the scheme”.

It said the proposed elevations would introduce “a more complex and vertically dominant form, with multiple pitched gables and a markedly increased height to the central section of the building,” which would have the potential for “an overbearing relationship and increased overlooking” impact on neighbouring properties.

It said the highways objections were “of particular significance,” saying: “In this instance, it is considered that the proposal fails to demonstrate that safe and policy-compliant access, turning and parking arrangements can be achieved to serve three independent dwellings.

“The scheme therefore represents an overdevelopment of the plot, in that the intensity of use proposed cannot be accommodated without resulting in unacceptable highway safety impacts.”

It finished by concluding “the proposal fails to demonstrate that the site can accommodate three independent dwellings without unacceptable impacts on highway safety and the amenities of neighbouring occupiers,” adding: “The development is therefore considered unacceptable and is recommended for refusal.”

The application was refused by park planners.

A CALL for new industrial units on land near the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park offices has been given the go-ahead, but they can’t be occupied until the end of the year.

In an application submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council, Sean Lavelle, through agent Stewart Longhurst, sought permission for five industrial units on land north of Richmond Road, West Llanion Industrial Estate, Pembroke Dock.

A supporting statement said: “Planning permission was granted [in 2021] for the erection of two light industrial/business units (B1 use) in outline, with only landscaping being a reserved matter,” adding: “The outline application was approved on November 8, 2021 for two blocks of light industrial units (B1 uses).  Block 1 was a two-storey building with ground floor workshops, with offices etc on the first floor.  Block 2 was for a single storey building which housed two workshops.

“The current application seeks permission for a smaller scale development, still of two blocks, but of single storey construction throughout.

“It is considered that there is more market demand for the erection of single-storey units to support smaller enterprises than envisaged under the original scheme.  Similarly, it is contended that this proposal would have less impact on the conservation area and would enhance this part of the industrial estate.”

It added: “It is respectfully considered that the scheme reflects and enhances the existing industrial units close to the site and attempts to blend in with the red brick office buildings of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.”

It went on to say: “The proposed units will be built to high specifications to ensure that the development reflects the conservation area setting and to promote environmental sustainability.”

The application was supported by Pembroke Dock Town council, which said it welcomed new business opportunities in the town.

Welsh Water Dwr Cymru raised no objections, but proposed a condition on any approval be added.

“The proposed development would drain to Pembroke Dock Waste water Treatment Works which is currently failing to comply with the 95 per cent quartile for its flow passed forward (FPF) performance.

“However, a scheme is planned for completion by December 31, 2026. No buildings on the application site shall be brought into beneficial use earlier than December 31, 2026, unless the scheme at the Waste Water Treatment Works, into which the development shall drain, has been completed and written confirmation of this has been issued by the local planning authority.”

The application was conditionally approved, conditions including the December 31 timescale outlined above.