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Dock’s councillors unite against tanker park plan

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AN IMPASSIONED personal address by Pembroke Dock Central councillor Paul Dowson helped sway Planning Committee members away from backing the creation of a tanker park on Criterion Way, Pembroke Dock.

Councillor Dowson put aside recent controversies to make a cogent and compelling case for rejecting the application, which was supported by the Council’s Planning Department.

Paul Dowson drew attention to the proposed tanker park’s location near a local picnic area and the likely effect of increased traffic to and from the site on Pembroke Dock’s creaking and congested roads.

He observed that the County Council had an unfortunate track record of dumping developments nowhere else in Pembrokeshire wanted onto Pembroke Dock.

Near a local picnic area: Cllr Dowson is against the proposal (Pic BBC News)

He went on to suggest that if there was a development that would create a smell or a public nuisance, it usually ended up in the Town.

Referring jokily to a remark made earlier by Cllr Mark Carter, he suggested that the site’s development would be like storing explosives to break into cashpoints near the town centre.

He found backing from his fellow Pembroke Dock county councillors, Brian Hall and Tony Wilcox.

Speaking with the benefit of forty years in the garage business, Cllr Hall pointed out the proposed tanker park’s closeness to a massive fuel tank at the nearby Asda petrol station, a large tyre business immediate adjacent to the location, a garage nearby, and two supermarkets within fifty yards of it.

Brian Hall said the risk of catastrophic damage to the area in the event of a fire was such that he could not support the proposal.

He insisted that only someone unfamiliar with Pembroke Dock and its huge traffic problems could possibly think locating the site on Criterion Way was a good idea.

As it was impossible for those councillors on the Committee from rural wards, he said that the Committee should come and see the location for itself and assess its suitability for the development proposed.

He also said there was an alternative location, on land already owned by the Port Authority, outside the town at Kingswood.

Cllr Tony Wilcox remarked that he had heard enough to justify rejecting the application without a site visit.

He pointed out that there was more risk from empty tankers full of fumes than there was from full tankers; a provision that formed a key part of the proposals.

He added that on a still day in Pembroke Dock, the smell of nearby refineries and industrial activity pervaded the town.

Cllr George Manning of Pembroke Dock Town Council said the Town’s own Planning Committee was unanimously opposed to the development.

He said that Pembroke Dock’s roads were already struggling to cope with traffic to and from the Port and that, with developments planned for the Royal Dockyard, that traffic would only increase.

There was, Cllr Manning said, a risk of loss of an existing amenity, saying that nobody would choose to go for a stroll or a picnic so near to a truck park.

There would be no economic benefit to the Town. He reminded members that the land nearby was earmarked for leisure and housing development, including the much talked about marina project.
Under questioning from Cllr Mark Carter, the developer’s agent confirmed that the development would create no new jobs for Pembroke Dock.

He added, however, that the scheme would reduce the transit time for deliveries and the number of miles tankers travelled.

Responding to the councillors’ concerns regarding safety, Head of Planning David Popplewell said that potential safety concerns were not a matter for the Planning Committee.

Those issues, he said, were separate considerations with a different set of statutory considerations by other agencies.
Councillors noted that the proposed development also took place in a Conservation Area and questioned the absence of an NRW report on its environmental impact.

David Popplewell explained that no NRW report had been received by the local authority and that there was no indication of when it might arrive.

Councillors remarked that it seemed odd to recommend the scheme’s approval absent an environmental assessment.
Mr Popplewell said that if responsibility for final approval was delegated to officers, the NRW report would be considered at that stage.

He added that even if Planning Committee members were minded to reject the application, the NRW report would still need to come back before them before they reached a final decision.

Committee members decided to go on a site visit to the area before their next meeting in September, at which point they expected the NRW report to be available.

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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