News

Residents furious at wind turbine ruling

Published

12 years ago

March 28, 2014

A JUDICIAL REVIEW challenge against a decision by Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee to grant permission for two wind turbines to be built at Princes Gate has been lost by campaigners.

Objectors mounted the legal challenge last year on two grounds.

They claimed that the officer’s report to the committee was flawed as it did not find the proposal contrary to the Local Development Plan. They also claimed that the Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Opinion was defective.

However, at the High Court in Cardiff last week, Judge Hickinbottom backed the Council’s handling of the application. Dismissing the first ground Judge Hickinbottom noted that in assessing the potential impact on the historic environment, the Committee report had been prepared with “patent care” and that it weighed and balanced the competing policies within the Plan.

He also dismissed the second ground.

In refusing the claim, the Judge made an order of costs in favour of the Council and refused the claimants leave to appeal. Princes Gate Spring Water applied for permission to build two 800kw wind turbines at Middleton Top near Ludchurch.

The Planning Committee agreed to the development in May last year on the basis that the benefits in terms of the contribution to the generation of renewable energy outweighed any adverse impacts. Local residents now say they are devastated to lose their long and costly battle. They say that homes only 400m from the site will have direct views of the turbines from their living rooms, bedrooms and amenity areas.

One campaigner told The Herald: “Residents” amenity is so severely compromised that at least one house will have wind turbines from this and other sites in view from every window and every aspect of the house and garden.”

“The turbines will dominate residents’ lives. Residents had previously supported Princes Gate Spring Water and their investment in renewable energy and requested that they locate their turbines on ground they own, adjacent to their water bottling plant.”

“The only response from the planners was to pretend that residents wanted the turbines in the factory car park.”

Dave and Isabel Scourfield, of the Belle Vue Equestrian Centre, say they are devastated. They have already seen their specialist equestrian insurance withdrawn when the insurers saw how close the turbines would be to their horses. They have tried to habituate their highly strung competition horses to wind turbines but failed, leaving their horses disturbed and frightened and their riders in danger. Horses from this small centre have previously enjoyed national and international success. As the turbines will overlook their entire holding, and are located only 200m from fields in which they break in and train them, their business is now in jeopardy.

Local campaigner Mary Sinclair said: “The developers themselves highlighted the extent of the shadow impact from the blades on Belle Vue fields and explained the special problems that moving shadows on the ground cause to horses. Yet the Planning Authority has set no condition to protect the Centre, nor was any background noise monitoring undertaken there, nor at any other home directly affected by the development.”

She added: “Councillor Tony Brinsden, when addressing the planning committee told councillors bluntly, before the Council’s Legal Officer ordered him to stop, that he ‘did not think it was the job of Pembrokeshire County Council planning department to wipe out people’s businesses’. But apparently, if in doing so it promotes someone else’s business, it is.”

Crime

Man charged with strangulation and assault offences after October incident

Published

9 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

A MAN recorded in court as having no fixed abode has appeared before magistrates charged with intentional strangulation and two further assault offences.

Michael Sudbury, 50, whose address was not read out in court, but in Herald records is Glan Hafan, Llangwm, appeared before the bench facing multiple charges.

The charges relate to an incident on 22 October 2025 and include:

Intentional strangulation, contrary to section 75A of the Serious Crime Act 2015
Common assault
Assault by beating

No further details of the alleged incident were opened in court, and no plea was entered at this stage.

Sudbury was remanded on conditional bail, with the case listed to return to magistrates later this month.

Crime

Haverfordwest man sent to Crown Court on multiple serious charges

Published

10 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded in custody

A HAVERFORDWEST man has been sent to Swansea Crown Court to stand trial on a series of A 49-year-old Haverfordwest resident has been committed to Swansea Crown Court to face trial on multiple serious charges deemed too grave for magistrates to handle.

David Guy, of Market Street, Haverfordwest, appeared before Haverfordwest magistrates facing a series of allegations stemming from a single case. The charges, which were not detailed in open court, include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
A second count of assault
Criminal damage
An additional allegation of interpersonal violence
A public order offence

Magistrates declined jurisdiction, determining that the matters exceeded their sentencing powers, and sent the case in its entirety to Swansea Crown Court.

Guy was remanded in custody pending his next appearance. The court register notes: “Sent to Crown Court for trial in custody – next hearing at Swansea Crown Court.”

A date for the initial Crown Court hearing will be set administratively. Guy will remain in custody until then.

The Pembrokeshire Herald will provide further updates as the case progresses in the Crown Court.

Crime

Castlemartin man back before magistrates over multiple alleged assaults

Published

10 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Court Reporter

Defendant remanded on conditional bail ahead of further hearing

A CASTLEMARTIN man has appeared repeatedly before magistrates this month over a string A 40-year-old man from Castlemartin has made repeated appearances before magistrates this month in connection with a series of serious alleged offences, including assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH), intentional non-fatal strangulation, common assault, and criminal damage.

Anthony Alcock, of Pwll Street, Castlemartin, is facing six linked charges stemming from incidents said to have occurred earlier this year. These appear to relate to the same complainant in what is understood to be a single ongoing domestic abuse prosecution.

During recent administrative hearings at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court, Alcock did not enter pleas while matters of bail and case management were addressed.

Charges Include:

Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH)
Intentional non-fatal strangulation
Common assault on a woman
Criminal damage in a domestic context
Additional assault allegations involving the same complainant
Breach of bail conditions

Alcock was initially granted conditional bail but was subsequently brought before the court on two occasions for alleged breaches. On those instances, magistrates remanded him in custody ahead of further hearings. He was later re-granted conditional bail, subject to strict conditions such as no contact with the complainant and exclusion from specified locations.

Magistrates have now declined jurisdiction, ruling that the case—particularly the more serious charges involving non-fatal strangulation—is too grave for summary trial. It has been committed to Swansea Crown Court for plea, trial, or sentencing.

No detailed evidence has been presented in open court at this preliminary stage. Alcock remains on conditional bail pending his next appearance at the Crown Court.