A CALL to allow a 600-acre Pembrokeshire potato farm to keep a holiday let erected “in innocence” without permission, which is said to be essential for supporting the business, has been approved.

In an application recommended for approval at the January 13 meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, Mr and Mrs I and F Elliot sought permission for the continued use of a mobile unit with a veranda as tourist accommodation at Cresswell Barn Farm, Cresswell Quay.

Cresswell Barn Farm supplies potatoes to Welsh supermarkets and the site has a certified campsite.

The application was before the committee rather than being delegated for an officer decision as it was recommended for approval, subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement essentially keeping it for holiday use only, despite being in conflict with the development plan and was made by a close family member of an officer in the planning service.

An officer report accompanying the application said an enforcement investigation was started way back in 2012 following a claim a caravan was located at the site and was being used for residential purposes.

That was closed in 2023; a 2022 investigation taking place after an allegation a structure on-site was being used for holiday letting.

A 2023 certificate of lawfulness application was made to regularise the breach of planning, saying the unit had been used for residential purposes for more than a decade, but insufficient information was provided to allow it, the report said.

An appeal against this was later made to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) but was withdrawn by the applicant.

It said the enforcement action was ongoing, leading to the formal planning application.

Of the site itself, the report said: “The agent has confirmed that due to many variables, there is no typical year for the enterprise in terms of profitability and that the income generated from tourist related activities at the farm, is critical to the farming enterprise.  The high-quality holiday unit therefore provides an additional income stream for the farming enterprise.”

It added: “The holiday unit is located adjacent to buildings that make up the farm complex, with the accommodation offering guests an immersive rural experience that introduces them to aspects of the rural economy.

“Information submitted in support of this application confirms that the income from the holiday uses at the site is critical to supplementing the potato farming enterprise.”

Speaking at the meeting, Fiona Elliot said the holiday let was a small-scale part of the wider farm complex; the building having been on-site for some 15 years, the applicants more recently “in innocence” using it as a holiday let, which visitors have described as “five-star,” not realising they needed planning permission.

Following a call by Cllr Brian Hall to back the officer recommendation of conditional approval, members unanimously supported that.

Survey shows SMEs still cautious on hiring and investment, despite a modest lift in new orders

UK SMALL firms are still feeling gloomy about the economy, with confidence stuck near historic lows as weak growth and rising costs continue to bite, according to a quarterly survey by ACCA and the Institute of Management Accountants.

The UK edition of the Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS) found confidence among small and medium-sized businesses dipped slightly in the final quarter of 2025, after a sharper fall in the previous quarter. The findings suggest many SMEs are still struggling to shake off the depressed mood that set in at the end of 2024.

Measures tracking investment and staffing also point to caution. Only a small number of respondents said their businesses – or their clients – had increased spending on capital projects over the past three months, while a higher-than-normal proportion reported cutting back.

On employment, the survey recorded a notable share of businesses reducing headcount or pausing recruitment, with relatively few saying they were hiring or restarting recruitment.

There was, however, a small sign of improvement in future demand. The survey’s forward-looking New Orders Index rose in Q4. While still weak by long-term standards, it was reported to be well above the low point seen during the COVID-19 pandemic – suggesting the underlying picture may not be as bleak as other indicators imply, and that some firms may be positioning themselves for better trading conditions.

Lloyd Powell, head of ACCA Cymru/Wales, said confidence remains “fragile,” arguing that businesses have seen little recovery since a sharp drop following the 2024 Budget. He added that the decline after the 2025 Budget was smaller, but said the impact on SMEs and the wider economy remained significant.

Powell said the modest improvement in new orders could indicate some firms are starting to consider investment again as they spot opportunities emerging.

Cost pressures, meanwhile, remain a major concern. More than four in five respondents reported higher operating costs during Q4, and early warning signs of corporate stress – including late payment issues and worries about customers or suppliers going out of business – stayed high compared with historic levels.

Jonathan Ashworth, ACCA’s chief economist, said the Q4 indicators continue to paint a “very downbeat” picture for UK SMEs, with confidence still struggling to recover from the lows seen at the end of 2024. He warned that 2026 is likely to remain difficult, citing sluggish UK growth and global uncertainty.

The survey notes that further interest rate cuts could ease some pressure on businesses, though ongoing domestic cost inflation suggests the Bank of England may have to approach any reductions carefully.

PLANS to convert a vandalised former Pembrokeshire town centre Chinese restaurant to a flat and bedsits which were expected to be approved have been put on hold after concerns about the impact on a neighbouring property.

In an application recommended for approval, the January 13 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Mr S Sahin and Miss S Ahmed, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, seek permission for a change of use of Grade-II-listed 20 Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven from the former Mandarin Restaurant to one flat and eight bedsits, an amendment of an original scheme which included one extra bedsit.

The scheme, in the town’s conservation area, was before committee rather than delegated to officers as it was recommended for approval despite being contrary to a policy of the development plan.

The application for the Mandarin follows a withdrawn scheme for three flats deemed invalid by council planners.

A supporting statement said: “The property has historically been in use as a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor with two flats on the upper floors of the building. The ground floor use of the building ceased some 10 years ago and currently lies vacant. Due to the lack of use of the building, it is in a very poor condition and has been the subject of unfortunate vandalism particularly to the interior of the building.”

It says that, after the previous scheme was withdrawn, the applicants have “since reviewed their position and now present revised applications to be considered by the council”.

It went on to say: “The clients have re-thought on what type of accommodation is needed and required in this part of Milford Haven,” adding: “The proposal is considered to put an important Grade-II-Listed Building back into beneficial use and would help to secure its long-term future. The proposal would represent a high-quality and sympathetic conversion and extension of the building, and which would make a positive contribution to the locality and conservation area status.”

An officer report recommending approval said one letter of objection was received raising concerns including potential impact on a neighbouring property and boundaries, and the discharge of the sewer under number 20.

At the meeting, member of the public Jessica Clarke raised concerns about the potential impact on her mother’s neighbouring property, with issues of height and massing, surface water discharge, and shared boundary walls, asking for a site visit before any decision was made.

Cllr Brian Hall, who moved a site visit, was one of several members who raised their concerns about potential impacts, members unanimously backing that move.

The application will return to a future planning meeting.

Earlier this week utilities companies were cutting off services to the building following a warrant from a magistrate.