News
Extraction call for quarry which may have once roofed House of Commons
A SCHEME to extract waste from a disused Pembrokeshire quarry which may have once provided slates for the Houses of Parliament is expected to get the go-ahead.
Alan James Ai Feibion CYF seeks permission to remove slate waste from Gilfach Quarry, Llangolman on the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border; the waste being used as a secondary aggregate in a variety of projects – such as agricultural farm tracks, as sub-bases for agricultural buildings and other engineering works.
The application is recommended for conditional approval at the January 9 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee.
It is not known when quarrying at historic slate quarry Gilfach, close to the Carmarthenshire border, started, but it was noted as ‘disused’ as far back as a 1956 application, and was later registered as a ‘dormant’ site in the first list of minerals sites in 1996.
The greenish-grey/blue slate quarried in the area is said to be of Ordovician volcanic ash origin, with online sources such as Wikipedia claiming slate from Gilfach was used on the roof of the Houses of Parliament when rebuilt in the 1830s.
The proposed extraction site, an old slate tip, itself forms a small part of the overall site; it is anticipated that the site would yield some 79,030 m³ of materials, which would equate to approximately 110,642 tonnes, with a maximum tonnage of 10,000 expected to be extracted a year.
A report for planners says: “The applicant has indicated that there is a local demand for this sort of material in the area.
“The applicant owns a civil engineering business and carries out various works on agricultural holdings where this material could be utilised in the use of tracks and/or subbase for buildings.
“The applicant also intends to supply stone to local stone masons, in additional to local farmers who have contacted the applicant since they have bought the site.”
In a planning complication, the access for the site is within the Pembrokeshire, but the public highways are under Carmarthenshire jurisdiction.
Neither authority has raised objections on highways grounds but requests for surfacing access warning signage were made.
The report for planners concludes: “In conclusion, the proposed development would be in accord with the aims and objectives of local and national planning policy and would contribute towards sustainable minerals planning in the county and would not result in any significant impacts, justifying the refusal of the application.”
The application is recommended for approval subject to a long string on conditions.
Business
First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead
THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.
The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock shortly after 4pm on Wednesday, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.
A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, is due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.
The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.
Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.
“The Peak Bergen arrived yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”
The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.
Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock. Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.
Weather conditions are currently favourable for this morning’s arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.
The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin next week, subject to final police and highway approvals.
A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.
Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.
Photo: Martin Cavaney
Crime
Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood
A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.
SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST
Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.
The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.
COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION
Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.
Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.
She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.
The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.
Local Government
Sewage leak at Pembroke Commons prompts urgent clean-up works
Council pollution officers say they have no enforcement powers over Welsh Water infrastructure
SEWAGE contamination on the Commons in Pembroke has prompted an urgent response from pollution officers, after a leak was reported by a member of the public on Tuesday.
Pembrokeshire County Council’s Pollution Control Team confirmed they were alerted yesterday afternoon to sewage surrounding a manhole cover on the site. The Herald understands that officers immediately notified Welsh Water (DCWW) network technicians to investigate the incident “as a matter of urgency”.
County councillor Jonathan Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the authority had been clear that it holds no enforcement powers over Welsh Water assets.
“Whilst we work constructively with Welsh Water, we have no authority to intervene on their apparatus or to carry out enforcement action against them for such pollution incidents,” the Pollution Control Team said in a statement shared with the councillor.
Urgent works underway
Council officers visited the site on Wednesday morning alongside contractors and Welsh Water technicians to assess clean-up options. According to the team, works will include cleaning the contaminated ground in and around the manhole cover and fencing off the affected area “until safe”.
Cllr Grimes said officers would return to the scene on Thursday to check on progress and ensure the area is properly secured.
Residents who notice any further issues have been urged to contact the Pollution Control Team directly.
Further updates are expected later this week.
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