WITHYHEDGE landfill site near to Haverfordwest has re-opened and has welcomed members from local community councils, county councillors, MSs and MPs, and local organisations including Spittal School, Haverfordwest Airport, and Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services.

Withyhedge landfill site was closed temporarily between 15 May 2024 and 6 January 2025 to enable engineering, and infrastructure works to be completed to address odour issues.  Following a thorough investigation by the site owners and specialist geotechnical engineers, it became clear that the odour was due to the site receiving compliant waste that reacted uncharacteristically when placed in the cell. 

Site owners Resource Management UK Ltd (RML), in collaboration with landfill specialists and regulators, have implemented a series of comprehensive new measures to ensure there is no repeat of the odour event.

Currently the site is only accepting pre-qualifying materials from Dauson Environmental, but it is expected that the site will recommence the acceptance of third-party wastes later in the year should they meet the waste acceptance criteria.

RML Director David Neal said:  “Since the issues experienced last year, we have invested over £10 million at the site.

“This has included major improvements to the site gas management including the installation of an additional gas network, additional flares and enhanced monitoring and recording instrumentation.  In addition, we have reviewed and revised our waste acceptance and waste testing procedures to the satisfaction of the Regulator and to provide confidence and reassurance to the local communities that the chances of any reoccurrence of odour have been minimised as far as possible.

“In direct response to concerns raised by the local community, we have committed to funding an additional 12 months of static air quality monitoring at Spittal School. This monitoring, along with the air quality sensors around the perimeter of the Withyhedge site and those within the surrounding community, will enable RML and other stakeholders to effectively monitor and assess odours within the community.”

Mr Neal added “I would like to thank the local community for their understanding through this challenging time; we are a part of the community, and we want to continue to be a good neighbour.  We will continue with regular updates and more site visits later this year.”

Since the Withyhedge landfill site re-opened on 6 January 2025, NRW, has conducted several compliance visits and have undertaken inspections looking at incoming waste, on site processes and the effectiveness of the revised procedures implemented by RML. 

A NEW round of business grant funding has been launched to boost Pembrokeshire enterprises and help them grow and prosper.

UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund grants are now open and invite applications from the county’s entrepreneurs and companies.

Managed by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Business Development Team, the fund aims to foster a successful enterprising and entrepreneurial culture within the local economy.

Business Growth Grants of £1,000 to £32,500, Start Up Grants of £500 to £10,000, and Carbon Reduction Grants of £1,000 to £17,500 are open for applications.

The grants will be a contribution towards a business’ proposed scheme, with the applicant sourcing match funding of a minimum of 50% of the total sum from elsewhere.

Peter Lord, Business Support Team Principle Development Officer, said: “We have a diverse range of enterprises in the county which we are keen to support. These grants offer a welcome boost to help businesses grow and are part of our ongoing commitment to supporting economic development.

“The aim of the grant intervention is to strengthen local entrepreneurial ecosystems and support businesses at all stages of their development to start, sustain, grow, and innovate.”

The Pembrokeshire Business Growth Grant supports local businesses and inward investors to grow, prosper and be sustainable, creating and safeguarding jobs and therefore improving the local economy.

The Business Start Up Fund aims to support the creation of new enterprises, while the Carbon Reduction Fund provides capital support to businesses towards the purchase of renewable energy systems.

A new Micro Grant will launch in June, further details to be announced.

Grants will be open for applications until September 2025 or until the fund is fully allocated.

For more information, and to find out more about business support offered by the team, visit: Advice and support for your business – Pembrokeshire County Council

A PARTLY-retrospective application to upgrade a garden centre on the main road to Pembroke Dock has been submitted to Pembrokeshire planners.

In the application, submitted through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, Mr and Mrs Wainwright seek permission for upgrade of a garden centre with a relocated garden centre sales area, additional parking and the creation of ornamental pond and wildlife enhancement area (partly in retrospect) at Cosheston Garden Centre, Slade Cross, Cosheston.

The application is a resubmission of a previously refused scheme, with the retrospective aspects of the works starting in late 2023.

The site has a long planning history and started life as a market garden and turkey farm in the 1980s and then a number of applications for new development.

A supporting statement says the previously-refused application included setting aside a significant part of the proposed new building for general retail sales as a linked farm shop and local food store/deli in addition to a coffee bar.

It was refused on the grounds of “the proposal was deemed to be contrary to retail policies and the likely impact of that use on the vitality and viability of nearby centres,” the statement says, adding: “Secondly, in noting that vehicular access was off the A 477 (T) the Welsh Government raised an objection on the grounds that insufficient transport information had been submitted in respect of traffic generation and highway safety.”

It says the new scheme seeks to address those issues; the development largely the same with the proposed new garden centre building is now only proposed to accommodate a relocated garden centre display sales area rather than a new retail sales area with other goods, but retaining a small ancillary coffee bar area.

“Additional information, in the form of an independent and comprehensive Transport Statement, has now been submitted to address the objection raised by the Welsh Government in respect of highway safety,” the statement says.

It concedes: “It is acknowledged that both the creation of the ornamental pond and ‘overspill’ parking area do not have the benefit of planning permission and therefore these aspects of the application are ‘in retrospect’ and seeks their retention.”

It finishes: “Essentially, this proposal seeks to upgrade existing facilities and offer to the general public. It includes the ‘relocation’ of a previously existing retail display area which had been ‘lost’ to the ornamental pond/amenity area and to provide this use within the proposed new building and moves away from the previously proposed ‘farm shop’ idea which we thought had merit. This revised proposal therefore involves an ‘upgrading’ rather than an ‘expansion’ of the existing Garden Centre use.”

The proposals will be considered by county planners at a later date.