PLANS to bring at-risk historic Pembrokeshire buildings, one of which may once have housed otter hounds for a nearby mansion, back to use as homes have been given the go-ahead.

In an application recommended for approval at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management commit, along with a related listed building consent also recommended for approval, Mr and Mrs JPH and MHH Roberts, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, sought permission for the conversion of Grade-II-listed outbuildings into three dwellings at Llwyngwair Home Farm, Newport.

A report for members said: “The proposed scheme is in keeping with the character of the listed buildings, and their setting in terms of design and form and the application can be supported subject to conditions.”

It added: “The site comprises a complex of existing agricultural outbuildings including two Grade-II-Listed Buildings immediately south-east of Llwyngwair Mansion and just south-west of the Llwyngwair Home Farm.

“The buildings originally comprised coach housing and stabling for the mansion (facing the old back drive) with the buildings later used in conjunction with the more modern home farm when the mansion and grounds were redeveloped as hotel and caravan site.

“The buildings are on the authority’s Buildings at Risk Register as many of the original fixtures were removed and some openings altered, and the buildings are in varying states of condition.”

It went on to say: “Supporting information has been provided which demonstrates that the cost of conversion alongside a financial contribution for affordable housing would make the scheme unviable.

“The authority considers that in this instance the value of delivering a conversion scheme which will ensure the preservation and restoration of the listed buildings, is a significant material consideration which in this instance outweighs the need for a financial contribution.”

Members heard some two years had been spent in preparing the application for the buildings, one of which may once have been used as a kennel for housing otter hounds.

The committee heard some 70 trees, many of low value and some suffering ash dieback, would be removed but there would be “three-to-one” replanting, including hedge planting.

Moving approval, Cllr Di Clements said: “It’s absolutely no mean feat to take on this project, it’s important we recognise that, especially to save these gorgeous buildings.”

She was seconded by Cllr Steve Alderman, who said: “What a wonderful project this sems to me; I look forward to seeing it completed.”

Authority member Dr Madeleine Havard said the scheme was “enabling nature to continue to have its space whilst allowing people to be able to live somewhere, and also preserving an historic building”.

The application, and the related listed building consent, was overwhelmingly backed by members.

A SECOND call to keep a ‘funky’ holiday lodge in woods near a Pembrokeshire village, previously turned down partly over a dispute on what constitutes a caravan, has been refused again.

In an application refused by Pembrokeshire County Council planners in June, Greg Baker, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, sought retrospective permission for the creation of a second tourism unit with a bespoke fixed holiday lodge/hot tub with parking area at Cabin in The Woods, near Woodcocks House, Carmarthen Road, Kilgetty.

Work started on the scheme in April 2023.

A supporting statement through Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd said: “The current application presents a scheme to provide a second bespoke holiday unit on land in our client’s ownership. The application for a second holiday let unit is in response to demand for more ‘funky’ holiday accommodation in Pembrokeshire and the popularity of the Kilgetty area, it being central to many visitor attractions in the county.”

It said a previous 1998 application, Woodberry Cottage, has operated as a holiday let for a number of years, adding: “This remains the case and as such, the proposal is still intended to extend and complement the existing holiday letting business on the site.”

The application was refused by county planners on the grounds the scheme “is for self-catering accommodation in the form of a cabin, on the basis of information submitted with the application, this is considered to be a caravan rather than built development, as there is no robust information to demonstrate that it is permanently fixed to the ground”.

It was also refused on the grounds of being in a countryside location outside of any defined settlement boundary.

Since then, a fresh application aimed at addressing the reasons for refusal was submitted, saying works had been carried out making the lodge a fixed structure.

“Our clients have provided further information to support the claim that the holiday lodge is indeed fixed to the ground and not moveable and with the fixed decking it also clearly goes over the maximum size of a caravan,” the statement said.

It also said the development was an extension to an existing holiday business rather than one in the open countryside.

An officer report, recommending refusal, said the authority was “of the opinion that the chassis on which the cabin is built is still only bolted to the timber plates attached to the metal poles and therefore could potentially be unbolted to enable the removal of the cabin.”

It was again refused on the basis it “is considered to be a caravan rather than built development, as there is no robust information to demonstrate that it is permanently fixed to the ground,” and “The application site is located in a countryside location outside of any defined settlement boundary.”

Government invests £820m to tackle rising youth unemployment, with targeted support across south-west Wales

YOUNG people on Universal Credit in West Wales will be offered new training and work experience placements in sectors such as construction, hospitality, and health and social care, as part of a UK Government drive to bring down rising youth unemployment.

The programme – funded from the £820m announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last month’s Budget – will create 350,000 training and work-experience places across the UK, and guarantee 55,000 jobs in areas judged to be most in need from spring 2026. South-west and south-east Wales are among the regions singled out for focused support.

Ministers say the measures aim to move young people aged 16–24 off long-term benefits and into stable work. Almost one million young people across the UK are currently classed as NEET (not in education, employment or training), a figure that has been rising steadily since 2021.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the new pathways would give out-of-work young people “a fair chance to make something of their lives”. The support will include a dedicated work session for every claimant aged under 25, followed by four weeks of intensive coaching before they are placed on one of six routes: paid work, work experience, an apprenticeship, wider training, classroom learning, or a workplace-based training scheme with a guaranteed interview.

Focus on sectors vital to the West Wales economy

For West Wales – where seasonal work, rural isolation and limited transport links have long affected youth employment – the concentration on construction, hospitality, and social care is likely to be significant. These industries remain major employers across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, with businesses regularly reporting difficulties recruiting local staff.

The Herald understands that officials expect more than 1,000 young people nationally to move into jobs within the first six months, with additional programmes promised as the government prepares to publish its national youth strategy.

Political dispute over the impact

The Conservatives accused the Chancellor of “driving youth unemployment up” through recent tax decisions, claiming the new scheme “gives with one hand while taking with the other”. However, ministers insist the investment represents a “downpayment on young people’s future” and will help address the rise in long-term sickness and disability among under-25s – one of the biggest barriers to work.

Further announcements are expected next week, including new details on the government’s pledge to make apprenticeships for under-25s at small and medium-sized businesses completely free.