PLANS for an adventure tourism hub in north Pembrokeshire, ruled by a high court judge to have been granted unlawfully following a legal challenge, are due to be heard again by the national park next year.

Back in 2024, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee approved an application by Adventure Beyond Ltd for an outdoor adventure centre, and associated works at The Old Bus Depot, Moylegrove.

The application had been before multiple meetings of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee; the plot originally used as a bus depot by the founder of the Richards Bros bus company.

Concerns were raised about the scheme, including by local community council Nevern, and opponents feared that increased business for adventure firms will worsen the plight of birds and animals including seals.

Following that approval, a high court challenge was brought by Wild Justice, who claimed the scheme would see nesting birds and breeding seals disturbed by ‘noisy’ coasteers.

But Jet Moore, of Adventure Beyond, insisted that the company had been ‘key’ in developing codes of conduct to ensure wildlife safety.

In September Hon Mr Justice Eyre ruled the National Park Authority’s decision was unlawful as a position statement and 2024 survey of breeding birds published by Natural Resources Wales had not been made available beforehand.

The judge also agreed that the management committee had not been properly informed about the impact of the development on the Aberath-Carreg Wylan SSSI, including the potential for coasteering activities to disturb the chough, for which the SSSI is designated.

On that basis planning permission was quashed and the application will need to be re-determined if the development is to go ahead.

Ceibwr Bay forms part of the Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation (SAC), the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC, the West Wales Marine SAC and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is home to nesting razorbill, guillemot, fulmar, herring gull, chough and kestrel.

Nearby sea caves are recognised pupping areas for grey seals and otters frequent the bay.

Wild Justice argued that an adventure centre would increase recreational activity, such as coasteering and kayaking.

Giving his reaction, Mr Moore claimed objectors had ‘caused more disturbance [to nesting birds] than we ever have’.

At the October meeting of the national park’s development management committee, members received an overview of the judgement, hearing resubmitted plans were expected.

In an update given just before the Christmas break, a spokesperson from Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority said: “We will be bringing the Moylegrove application back for redetermination in 2026 but do not have a definite date for that yet.”

THE SECRETARY OF STRATE FOR WALES, Jo Stevens, has said the coming year will bring further jobs, growth and investment to Wales, as she reflected on UK Government spending decisions made during 2025.

Ms Stevens said the past year had seen what she described as “transformative” investment across Wales, aimed at boosting economic growth, supporting public services and helping households with the cost of living.

One of the most significant announcements came in November, when Wylfa on Anglesey was confirmed as the site of the UK’s first small modular nuclear reactors. The project is expected to create thousands of jobs during construction and operation, while contributing to long-term energy security.

That announcement was followed by confirmation of two AI Growth Zones in North and South Wales, forecast to create more than 8,000 jobs over the coming years, alongside £10 million in support for the semiconductor cluster along the M4 corridor in South Wales.

Earlier in the year, the Chancellor’s Spending Review included £445 million for Welsh rail infrastructure, funding which the UK Government says will help modernise services, improve connectivity and support economic growth after what it described as years of underinvestment.

The Welsh Secretary also highlighted cost-of-living measures, including a £150 reduction in the household energy price cap, increases to Universal Credit and the state pension, and a rise in the National Minimum Wage. Around 160,000 of the lowest-paid workers in Wales are expected to benefit.

She said thousands of children would also benefit from the removal of the two-child benefit limit, announced by the Prime Minister in December, with around 69,000 children in Wales affected.

Ms Stevens said public services in Wales had received a record funding settlement in 2025, providing additional resources for the Welsh Government to invest in areas such as the NHS, education, local services and infrastructure.

Support for steelworkers in Port Talbot has also continued throughout the year, with funding for retraining, employment support and new economic opportunities in the area.

Speaking about the year ahead, Ms Stevens said:
“We promised new jobs and economic growth for people across Wales after more than a decade of neglect, and this UK Government has delivered generational investment – from new nuclear to AI and rail.

“The funding for Wales’s semiconductor industry and continued support for the transformation of Port Talbot shows we are investing in Wales’s industrial future and the high-skilled jobs and growth it will bring.”

Looking ahead to 2026, she said two Freeports – in Anglesey and South West Wales – are expected to become operational, offering planning and customs incentives designed to attract new investment.

Further rail improvements are also planned, including work starting on the regeneration of Cardiff Central Station, supported by UK Government funding, alongside new stations, safer level crossings and line upgrades.

As construction continues on Tata Steel’s new electric arc furnace in Port Talbot, the UK Government has confirmed that support for workers and the local community will continue. Just before Christmas, a further £22 million was added to the Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board fund, taking the UK Government’s total contribution to £102 million.

Ms Stevens added:
“We are now achieving our ambition to bring positive change to communities across Wales, but we have only just begun. We will move further and faster in 2026.

“The UK Government remains focused on delivering for Welsh communities, creating jobs, driving investment and ensuring the benefits of growth are felt in every part of Wales.”

She also said she hoped to see Wales qualify for another major football tournament, with the men’s team aiming for a place at the World Cup in North America.

“There is a bright 2026 ahead for Wales,” she said.

A CALL for Pembrokeshire’s leader to openly object to a planned UK Government digital ID scheme is to be heard next year.

On September 26, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced plans for a digital ID scheme that will be mandatory for proving the right to work.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall, said the scheme would make it easier to access services, improve privacy, and reduce illegal immigration.

There will be no requirement for individuals to carry their ID or be asked to produce it – but digital ID will be mandatory as a means of proving your Right to Work, the UK Government has said.

In a notice of motion heard at the December meting of Pembrokeshire County Council, leader of the independent group Cllr Huw Murphy called on the council to back an objection to mandatory digital IDs.

His notice read: “On November 25, our Celtic cousins in Cornwall passed a motion that the leader of Cornwall County Council would write to the Home Secretary voicing their objection to a UK Government proposal to implement mandatory digital ID for the United Kingdom.

“This Notice of motion asks that the Leader of Pembrokeshire County Council likewise writes to the Home Secretary and to the First Minster of Wales communicating the objection of elected members to the idea of Digital ID. This is not a devolved matter for WG hence the request to write to the Home Secretary expressing our objections.

“The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) following the budget stated that the cost of introducing Digital ID will cost the UK Govt around £1.8 billion which is money that would be better spent elsewhere.

“Compulsory ID cards were abolished in 1952 after WW2 due to the widespread belief and sentiment they are fundamentally at odds with British and Welsh values and civil liberties, which was true then and remains true today.

“As the leader of the largest political group, therefore representing the largest group of residents I’m obliged to express my objection to this proposal by the UK Government asking that our objection to Digital ID is communicated to the Home Secretary and the First Minister.

“I am not alone in my objection to mandatory digital ID with universal opposition to include the Leaders of Plaid Cymru, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, Reform UK, the Green Party, Scottish Nationalist Party, Sinn Fein and the DUP.”

At the December meeting, members agreed to refer the matter to the council’s Cabinet, the next meeting due to take place in 2026.