A PREVIOUSLY backed call against officer recommendations for the relocation of a Pembrokeshire farm diversification scheme which packages and distributes specialist medical equipment across Europe will again be considered by councillors.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, members backed a call by Mr Van Der Spoel for the relocation and expansion of an existing farm diversification business into an existing agricultural building at Castle Villa, Hayscastle despite an officer recommendation for refusal.

Back in July a similar application by Mr Van Der Spoel, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, was refused by planning officers.

A supporting statement for that application said the Dutch-born applicant, together with his wife and adult daughter ran the farm diversification business packing specialist medical supplies at their 135-acre sheep farm.

It added: “The business run from this site is FRIO ASTRID EURO Ltd, which has a franchise agreement with FRIO UK. This business has been run from Castle Villa since its incorporation in 1998. The business was initially run from the stable building on the farmyard at Castle Villa.

“The business set-up involves receiving stock from FRIO UK in Wolfscastle, packaging orders and distributing the stock to seven Western Europe countries.”

Wolfscastle-based FRIO produces the world’s first patented insulin cooling wallet which keeps insulin and other temperature-sensitive medicines cool and safe.

The scheme for the business, said to have outgrown its current site, was previously refused by county planners on grounds including a lack of “robust evidence” to prove it couldn’t be sited within a nearby settlement or an allocated employment site, such as Haverfordwest.

Since then, an application seeking to address the reasons for refusal was submitted, and, at the request of local member Cllr Mark Carter, a call for the scheme to be decided by full planning committee rather than delegated to officers was backed at the October meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning delegation panel.

The latest application is again, after its ‘minded to’ backing at the December meeting, recommended for refusal on similar grounds to previously at the January 13 planning meeting.

It has returned to the January committee for ratification after a ‘cooling off’ period, and, if backed then, will ultimately be decided by full council.

A report for members following the ‘minded to’ approval, warns: “Members should be aware that if they are ‘minded to’ approve the application on the basis of economic benefits and farm diversification, this is a consideration which can be applied to many other existing sites. This would have further consequences for the implementation of policies within the LDP and its delivery.”

It adds that, if it is backed again, it includes a condition, suggested by the agent, that: “Should the farm and business ever be operating by different individuals/companies, the use of this building by FRIO ASTRID must cease and be relocated should further planning permission not be obtained.

“This will be regulated by the submission of documents annually to demonstrate the farm and business remain under ownership by the same individual/company.”

THE CONFEDERATION of Passenger Transport has welcomed Welsh Labour’s pledge to introduce a £2 cap on all single bus fares across Wales if the party leads the next Welsh Government, while warning that any such policy must be properly funded to be sustainable.

Responding to the announcement, Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) said lower fares could play an important role in boosting bus use and cutting car dependency, but cautioned against unfunded commitments.

Aaron Hill, Director of CPT Cymru, said buses remain the most widely used form of public transport in Wales.

“Buses are Wales’s favourite form of public transport, carrying nearly 200,000 passengers a day. They’re a green, affordable and convenient alternative to travelling by car,” he said.

“Bus operators welcome ideas and policies that will encourage people across Wales to take public transport more often.”

Mr Hill said Wales had lagged behind other parts of Great Britain in recent years when it came to fare initiatives, pointing to England’s £2 cap scheme, which has been extended several times with central government backing.

“Wales has been slow, in comparison to the rest of Great Britain, to invest in lower bus fares, so a cap of £2 would be a welcome step in boosting public transport usage,” he said.
“It is vital that any cap is backed with adequate funding, and that a strategy is in place to capture gains for the long term if the cap is for a limited period.”

Welsh Labour has also pledged to introduce 100 new bus routes across Wales as part of its wider transport plans. CPT said the ambition was positive but stressed the need for realistic delivery.

“Bus operators welcome Welsh Labour’s pledge to introduce 100 new bus routes,” Mr Hill added.
“We stand ready to work with the party on identifying pockets of demand and on discussing how this goal could be fulfilled, while ensuring value for money.”

However, the organisation warned that past experience showed a gap between political ambition and financial reality.

Public funding for bus services under the current Welsh Government has, CPT said, not always matched the scale of commitments made by ministers, with operators facing rising costs linked to fuel, wages and vehicle investment.

“Public funding under the current Welsh administration has not always been sufficient to meet the level of ambition set out by politicians,” Mr Hill said.
“It is vital that, as a nation, we bridge this gap and that pledges are backed by hard cash.”

Opposition parties have previously raised concerns that fare caps, while popular with passengers, can place significant strain on already stretched transport budgets if not fully funded, potentially leading to service reductions elsewhere. Some local authorities have also warned that rural routes, which are more expensive to operate, could be at risk if funding does not keep pace with lower fares.

CPT said any future investment must be carefully designed.

“All public investment in buses must be designed to generate value for money and to deliver a visible impact for passengers,” Mr Hill said.

Welsh Labour has argued that cheaper fares and expanded routes would increase passenger numbers, reduce congestion and help meet climate targets, but has yet to set out detailed costings for the proposals.

With bus services under pressure across Wales, CPT said collaboration between government, local authorities and operators would be essential if fare caps and network expansion are to deliver lasting benefits rather than short-term gains.

A primary school built in 2016 is facing a full roof replacement after years of leaks and structural deterioration — but Pembrokeshire County Council is refusing to disclose how much the work will cost taxpayers.

A NEWLY built Pembrokeshire school is facing a full roof replacement less than a decade after opening, with Pembrokeshire County Council refusing to disclose how much the work will cost the public.

Tenby Church in Wales VC School, a 3–11 English-medium primary school with an additional Learning Resource Centre provision, was completed in 2016. However, just a few years later, reports of water ingress began to emerge, with the situation worsening to the point where more than 500 temporary supports are now holding up parts of the roof.

The council has confirmed that it holds multiple condition and engineering reports relating to the roof dating back to January 2020, and that the issue has been discussed at Cabinet level on more than one occasion.

However, in a response to a Freedom of Information request, Pembrokeshire County Council has refused to disclose the total estimated cost of repairs, temporary works, or a planned full roof replacement, citing commercial sensitivity.

The council has also declined to release any correspondence between itself, the Welsh Government and the school’s governing body relating to warranties, insurance claims, or liability for the roof defects, again relying on exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.

The Herald received the FOI response on Friday, January 9, 2026. In it, the council confirmed that while reports and assessments exist — and have been presented to Cabinet — key financial and contractual details are being withheld from public view.

The Herald previously reported in November that Cabinet members approved a £75,000 feasibility budget to explore options for tackling the ongoing roof leaks, including the possibility of a complete roof replacement. At that time, councillors were told that repeated water ingress had resulted in a weakening of the structure and components within the roof construction.

As part of urgent health and safety measures, the council installed 510 ‘acro’ props to support vulnerable roof areas and fully closed the Early Years and Playgroup wing. In 2024, the school’s solar photovoltaic array was also removed on engineer advice to reduce loading on the roof.

A Cabinet report stated that the favoured option is the replacement of the entire roof, a course of action that would require a comprehensive decant strategy to relocate pupils while works are carried out.

Presenting the findings of the feasibility study, the Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, Cllr Guy Woodham, acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, telling members that the wellbeing of learners and staff was the council’s priority and that efforts would be made to move forward as quickly as possible.

Despite those assurances, the council has not confirmed whether it expects to recover costs through warranties, insurance, or third-party liability, or whether the financial burden could ultimately fall on the public purse.

In its FOI response, the authority said releasing cost information or correspondence could prejudice commercial interests and negatively affect negotiations with contractors or other third parties. It concluded that there was a greater public interest in withholding the information than in disclosure.

The decision is likely to fuel anger among parents and residents, with many questioning how a school building less than ten years old has deteriorated to the point of requiring hundreds of emergency supports and a potential full roof replacement — and why the true cost of that failure is being kept from public view.

Pembrokeshire County Council has not said when, or if, the total cost of the works will be made public.