News

Officers thought request for information ‘unreasonable’

Published

4 years ago

October 17, 2021

A CONTROVERSIAL application due for consideration by the County Council’s Planning Committee was removed from the agenda of its meeting last Tuesday (Oct 5).
The application due for discussion relates to a massive housing development of 729 houses on land off Slade Lane, Haverfordwest.
Head of Planning David Popplewell sprang the surprise move on the morning of the meeting.
The Committee was asked to consider scrapping an affordable housing commitment in the development under matters reserved from the existing planning permission.
The existing permission contains a condition that 25% of the houses built would be affordable homes.
The applicant now claims meeting that condition would make developing the site commercially unviable.

A GLIMPSE BEHIND THE SCENES

Invited to explain the late decision by a clearly frustrated Cllr Jacob Williams, Mr Popplewell told the Committee: “There has been consideration of a number of matters since publication of the agenda relating to development viability. “We consider the viability study prepared by the district valuer should be before the Committee and the report before members today does not, perhaps, give the full range of information to inform their judgment on the recommendation to approve the changes the developer seeks.”
Cllr Williams responded by lifting the veil on preparations for Planning Committee meetings.
The day before the meeting, it’s Cllr Williams’s practice to review items on the agenda with the Council’s planning officers to iron out any details and grasp the issues that come to the Committee.
He told members – and the watching public – he met with planning officers on Monday (October 4) and expressed concern at the thinness of the report Planning Committee members were supposed to form a judgement on, especially as it related to such a large project. He told members that if the matter came before the Committee as scheduled, he would have moved a motion to defer it pending the delivery of more complete information to them.
“It’s only since then,” he said, “that this matter has been removed from the agenda. My view is that members should see the district valuer’s report, upon which so much hinges. There was a lot of push-back on that and I was told my request was ‘unreasonable’.”

WE MUST SEE THE EVIDENCE AND REPRESENTATIONS MUST BE ALLOWED

Cllr Williams continued: “My position is that where planning officers would have sight of reports to inform their decisions if they decided the matter themselves, it is only right that committee members have the same material to inform them.”
He also outlined that it was only the previous day he’d been contacted by Haverfordwest Town Council informing him they were unaware of this application and had not been notified of it. He explained that the Planning Department’s position was that the Town Council did not need to be told because this was not a planning application but an application to modify existing permission.
Jacob Williams expressed the opinion; “There is something when we don’t notify concerned parties of such a consequent application.
“By the time this comes back to the Committee,” he said, “I hope all those who might wish to speak on this matter will have the opportunity to do so.”

COMMITTEE SHARES CHAIR’S CONCERNS

Cllr Mark Carter supported the Chair. He tartly observed that the Committee was being asked to remove 180 affordable houses from Haverfordwest on the back of a very slim document.
Cllr Tony Wilcox observed that the Committee was being asked to approve something the size of a medium-sized village in Haverfordwest with no affordable housing without any supporting documentation.
Jacob Williams moved a proposal that the decision be deferred.
He wanted Committee members to see all documents and appendices from the District Valuer’s report and a copy of the applicant’s representations supporting scrapping the affordable housing provision.
Cllr Mark Carter seconded the motion.
Cllr Jonathan Preston expressed disbelief and concern that removing the affordable housing provision could have been done “at the stroke of a pen.”
He thanked David Popplewell for ensuring it did come before members to decide.
Cllr Jacob Williams’s motion was carried unanimously.

SIZE AND ECONOMICS THE ISSUES

According to Welsh Government statistics, the average household size in Pembrokeshire is circa. 2.3 people.
The Slade Lane development would add well over 1,600 people to the population of Haverfordwest. That would make the housing estate the size of a whole County Council ward if fully occupied.
While Pembrokeshire faces a housing shortage, the shortage of houses is most acute for those seeking affordable homes or social housing to rent.
When a previous planning committee granted permission, the scheme involved the construction of a new petrol station and supermarket. It was hailed as bringing commercial opportunities and employment to our county town.
That permission hinged on the promise of 500 jobs being brought to Pembrokeshire by Sainsbury’s.
At the time, the then developer’s agent said: “Financial realities have meant there has been little progress with this site in seven years. Sainsburys now makes this possible. The new store cross-subsidises the wider development.”
However, the supermarket scheme went down the drain in 2015, when Sainsbury’s withdrew their interest.
Despite having some infrastructure in place, the site has remained vacant and undeveloped ever since.
The developer’s problem undoubtedly boils down to money.
Supply lines are stretched, material costs have skyrocketed, margins are shrinking, and qualified workers with the appropriate certifications are in very short supply. New Welsh Government regulations on phosphate solutions and the requirement for new builds to be more energy efficient also drive up developers’ costs.
The current Pembrokeshire housing boom is driven by purchasers from outside Pembrokeshire snapping up our county’s relatively cheap housing stock in a limited number of areas for second homes or as holiday-letting investments.
At that end of the market, the ratchet effect has inexorably raised prices elsewhere in the county, where stock is limited. The end result is that many Pembrokeshire residents are unable to get on the property ladder.
Suppose houses at the Slade Lane development are priced out of locals’ reach. In that case, the most likely outcome is that properties would be bought as investments by speculators and private landlords, second homes, Airbnb’s, or even outright holiday lets.
That is not what was originally promised and is not the basis upon which the original permission was agreed in 2013.

Charity

Vincent Davies raises £13,682 for air ambulance charity

Published

13 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Independent Haverfordwest store backs lifesaving crews with year of community fundraising

A WEST WALES department store has raised more than thirteen thousand pounds for a lifesaving emergency service after a packed year of community fundraising.

Staff at Vincent Davies Department Store collected £13,682 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, after voting the organisation their Charity of the Year for 2025.

The independent retailer organised events throughout the year, including an Easter bingo, bake sales, quizzes, raffles, staff sales, Christmas jumper days and a festive wreath-making workshop. Charity jam jars placed in Café Vincent also helped gather steady donations from customers.

One of the most popular attractions was the store’s charity singing penguin trio, which drew smiles from shoppers of all ages and boosted collections.

Sarah John, Joint Managing Director at Vincent Davies, said: “Raising £13,682 for the Wales Air Ambulance Charity is something we are extremely proud of at Vincent Davies Department Store. As a director, it’s wonderful to see our community come together to support a charity that makes such a lifesaving difference.”

The air ambulance is consultant-led, delivering hospital-level treatment directly at the scene of serious incidents and, when needed, transferring patients straight to the most appropriate specialist hospital.

Working in partnership with the NHS through the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, crews can provide advanced critical care including anaesthesia, blood transfusions and even minor surgical procedures before reaching hospital.

Operating across the whole of Wales, its teams travel the length and breadth of the country by helicopter and rapid response vehicle to reach patients quickly in both rural and urban areas.

This is not the first time the Haverfordwest store has backed the cause. In 2016, staff previously raised £5,831 when the charity was also chosen as their beneficiary.

Mike May, the charity’s West Wales Regional Fundraising Manager, said: “We are so grateful to Vincent Davies Department Store for raising an incredible amount for our charity. Throughout the year they put on a variety of different events and what a successful fundraising year it was.

“The charity needs to raise £13 million every year to keep our helicopters in the air and our rapid response vehicles on the road. By raising £13,682, the staff and customers have played an important part in saving lives across Wales.”

The store says it will announce its Charity of the Year for 2026 in the coming weeks.

Crime

Police assess complaints over Mandelson–Epstein links

Published

13 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Met says allegations will be reviewed to see if criminal threshold is met following release of US court files

SCOTLAND YARD is reviewing a series of complaints alleging possible misconduct in public office after fresh claims emerged linking former UK ambassador Peter Mandelson to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed it has received “a number of reports” following the publication of millions of pages of material by the United States Department of Justice, and will now decide whether any alleged conduct reaches the level required for a criminal investigation.

Commander Ella Marriott said the force would assess each report individually, stressing that a review does not automatically lead to formal proceedings.

The documents, widely referred to as the “Epstein files”, appear to show Mandelson corresponding with Epstein while serving as business secretary during the government of Gordon Brown at the height of the global financial crisis.

According to reports, Epstein was allegedly given insight into internal policy discussions, including proposals around banker bonus taxes in 2009 and details of a eurozone bailout package shortly before it was announced publicly.

Payments questioned

Bank records cited in the US disclosure reportedly show payments totalling 75,000 US dollars made to Mandelson between 2003 and 2004. It is also claimed Epstein paid for an osteopathy course for Mandelson’s husband.

Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing and said he has “no record or recollection” of the alleged transfers.

On Sunday he resigned his membership of the Labour Party, saying he did not want his continued association to cause further difficulty for the party.

In interviews, he dismissed suggestions that Epstein influenced his decisions as a minister and said nothing in the released files pointed to criminality or misconduct on his part.

Pressure mounts

The political fallout has intensified, with Downing Street confirming Keir Starmer has asked Cabinet Secretary Chris Wormald to carry out an urgent review into Mandelson’s historic contacts with Epstein while in office.

Brown has also called for an examination of whether any confidential or market-sensitive information was improperly shared during the financial crisis.

The case is the latest in a series of controversies linked to Epstein’s long-standing relationships with powerful figures on both sides of the Atlantic.

Police emphasised that no charges have been brought and that Mandelson is not currently under criminal investigation, but said the complaints process would be handled “thoroughly and impartially”.

Community

Councillor meets chief constable to address Monkton and Pembroke concerns

Published

14 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Tom Sinclair

COUNTY COUNCILLOR Jonathan Grimes has met with the new Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police to discuss crime, antisocial behaviour and wider community issues affecting residents in Pembroke and Monkton.

Cllr Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the meeting followed his invitation for senior police leaders to visit the area and hear first-hand about local concerns.

The Chief Constable, Ifan Charles, attended alongside officers from the Pembroke Neighbourhood Policing and Protection Team, meeting the councillor in Monkton for what were described as open and constructive talks.

As part of the visit, they also spoke with Monkton Priory Community Primary School headteacher Dylan Lawrence and Danny Nash from Pembrokeshire County Council Housing Services to gather views from education and housing professionals.

Discussions covered a range of issues raised by residents, including domestic abuse, drug and alcohol misuse, antisocial behaviour and environmental concerns such as littering, dog fouling and dangerous or inconsiderate driving.

Cllr Grimes acknowledged recent police successes, particularly in tackling drug-related activity, but said enforcement alone would not solve the area’s challenges.

He said closer cooperation between the police, council services, schools and the wider community would be needed to deliver longer-term improvements.

The councillor added that he plans to encourage residents to form a local community group in the coming weeks, aimed at developing practical solutions and strengthening partnership working across the area.