THE PREMISES licence for Tenby’s popular Summer Spectacular events, which attracts thousands to the seaside town’s harbour area, has been revoked following a lengthy meeting held last week.

Following the meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Licensing Sub Committee last Thursday, July 9, to review the premises licence of the Tenby Summer Spectacular events, committee members have now released their decision.

At the licensing meeting, police had expressed fears that the event in its current form was “a disaster waiting to happen”.

Tenby Round Table disputed some of the figures produced by the emergency services about incidents in previous years, saying they were not connected to the event.

The ‘Table members present stressed they had tried to address the issue of access to the licensed area: “This year’s event has been cancelled, it arose from the sheer volume of people visiting Tenby creating a question we have tried to get answered for the best part of a year; without a clear answer we couldn’t finish our licensing plan and couldn’t responsibly hold our events.”

The Sub-Committee concluded that the licensing objectives were not being adequately met leaving significant concerns regarding crowd safety, emergency access and the protection of children from harm.

The Sub-Committee decision revokes the premises licence on those grounds.

Cllr Aaron Carey, Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Licensing Service, said: “Neither I nor Pembrokeshire County Council take any satisfaction whatsoever from this decision and I know this will be very disappointing news for the organisers, volunteers, charities and many people who value the Tenby Summer Spectacular.

“The sub-committee also recognises the longstanding charitable contribution of the event, its importance to the local economy and the significant funds it raises for local good causes.

“However, committee members concluded that public safety must always be the overriding consideration.”

He said the sub-committee reached its decision after considering all of the evidence including submissions from blue light services, council officers and the event organisers, adding the concerns expressed from Dyfed-Powys Police “were extremely powerful”.

Cllr Carey added: “There were significant concerns from agencies that, due to the size and popularity of the event, it had outgrown its current setting.

“Public safety has to be paramount, particularly where an event involves large crowds in a working harbour environment and affects surrounding public spaces.

“However, the evidence presented by the Tenby Round Table was not sufficient to satisfy the committee that the licensing objectives relating to public safety and the protection of children from harm could be adequately promoted.

“Throughout this process officers from all the agencies involved in the licensing review had met with the event organisers on a number of occasions and had hoped to reach a position whereby the concerns raised could be effectively mitigated.

“With the event having been cancelled by Tenby Round Table for 2026, all agencies involved in the review have made clear their willingness to continue working constructively with the organisers to address the issues identified.

“The Tenby Summer Spectacular has been a much-loved event for many years, raising significant sums for local charities and bringing considerable benefits to the town and wider county. There is a shared desire to see those benefits continue in the future.”

Speaking after the decision, a Dyfed-Powys Police Spokesman said: “After reviewing the event in its current format, we raised concerns surrounding public safety, protection of children from harm and the prevention of crime and disorder.

“Keeping our communities safe must be our priority and we remain committed to working with them to hold a safe event in the future.”

PLANS to build homes in a Pembrokeshire village, previously refused for not having a high enough housing density, have been resubmitted with more homes in the hopes of addressing that reason for refusal.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Robert Bowen, through agent Matthew Hitches, seeks permission for a residential development of four houses on land adjacent to Westaways, Station Road, Kilgetty.

The application, in outline only, is a resubmission of a previously-refused scheme, turned down by planners back in 2025, itself a follow-on to a 2024 refused scheme.

The 2025 scheme refusal saw an unsuccessful appeal to the Welsh Government’s Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), which was dismissed at the start of this year.

That scheme, for three houses, which was again supported by Kilgetty/Begelly Community Council, was refused on grounds including an indicative density of 19 dwellings per hectare rather than a policy requirement of 25.

A supporting statement accompanying the latest housing call attempts to address that reason for refusal by increasing the number of proposed dwellings, hitting the policy requirement level through two detached and two semi-detached buildings.

Of the scheme, it says: “The application site comprises a broadly rectangular piece of land between two residential properties, namely The Laburnums to the South and Westways to the North. The site forms a piece of land within a row of residential dwellings fronting onto Station Road at the southern end of the settlement of Kilgetty.”

It adds: “There is no doubt that the siting of four dwellings at this location would introduce built form at an otherwise undeveloped site, however, it would not represent a prominent or conspicuous form of development.

“While the proposed development would inevitably change the character of the site itself, the proposed changes would not be to the extent that would result in an unacceptable impact on local amenity in terms of visual amenity. The proposal would make beneficial use of an otherwise redundant site. It is asserted that to introduce residential development at this location would represent an efficient use of under-utilised land.

“Given the aforementioned, it is considered sensitively designed dwellings would ensure any resultant development would not be inappropriate or disproportionate in scale compared to existing road frontage properties. It is on this basis that it is considered that the development would represent a sensitive form of infill development, commensurate with the existing built form, hence would not adversely affect the spatial character of the settlement.”

The application, as previously, offers a contribution towards affordable housing through a commuted sum.

The latest proposal will be considered by county planners at a later date.

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council is on the lookout for a new senior officer with a salary, including allowances, that could top £150,000 a year.

In an advertisement posted on its own social media page, the council is seeking a new Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Place.

It says: “Are you an experienced leader with a passion for place, regeneration and economic growth? Pembrokeshire County Council is seeking a Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Place to help shape the county’s future.

“This influential role will lead on regeneration, economic development, planning, transport, environmental services, climate change and major capital projects, supporting ambitious investment opportunities including the Celtic Freeport.

“Based in Haverfordwest/agile, Pembrokeshire: £132,063 – £145,050 plus £9,576 lease car allowance and relocation package.

“If you have a strong track record of delivering growth and transformation in complex environments, we’d love to hear from you.”

A linked page quotes Chief Executive Will Bramble, which also features a video of him promoting the county as a place to work: “Pembrokeshire is a great place to learn, live and grow. With some of the finest natural assets in the whole of Wales, we are immensely proud of our county and everything it has to offer.

“Since I joined Pembrokeshire as Chief Executive in 2021, I have been hugely impressed by the passion and dedication of our officers and members, and their shared commitment to delivering the best possible outcomes for our residents.

“As part of our journey towards being an even better organisation, we are looking to recruit for this critical post.”