PLANS to convert a vandalised former Pembrokeshire town centre Chinese restaurant to a flat and bedsits are expected to be approved next week.

In an application recommended for approval the January 13 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Mr S Sahin and Miss S Ahmed, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, seek permission for a change of use of Grade-II-listed 20 Hamilton Terrace, Milford Haven from the former Mandarin Restaurant to one flat and eight bedsits, an amendment of an original scheme which included one extra bedsit.

The scheme is before committee rather than delegated to officers as it is recommended for approval despite being contrary to a policy of the development plan.

The application for the Mandarin follows a withdrawn scheme for three flats deemed invalid by council planners.

A supporting statement says: “The property has historically been in use as a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor with two flats on the upper floors of the building. The ground floor use of the building ceased some 10 years ago and currently lies vacant. Due to the lack of use of the building, it is in a very poor condition and has been the subject of unfortunate vandalism particularly to the interior of the building.”

It says that, after the previous scheme was withdrawn, the applicants have “since reviewed their position and now present revised applications to be considered by the council”.

It adds: “The clients have re-thought on what type of accommodation is needed and required in this part of Milford Haven.  It has been identified that the cheaper type of affordable housing for either workers or a single person is the most needed. Indeed, PCC Housing Need Register reflects this need, and this has also been confirmed by the local estate agents.”

It concludes: “The proposal is considered to put an important Grade-II-Listed Building back into beneficial use and would help to secure its long-term future. The proposal would represent a high-quality and sympathetic conversion and extension of the building, and which would make a positive contribution to the locality and conservation area status.”

An officer report recommending approval says one letter of objection was received raising concerns including potential impact on a neighbouring property and boundaries, and the discharge of the sewer under number 20.

It concludes: “The proposal is for the change of use of use with alterations and extensions to the building to create one self-contained flat and eight bedsits.  This would not accord [with policy] as it would involve the change of use of the ground floor to residential (C3) use in a Secondary Frontage.

“However, material planning considerations have been identified which are considered to be sufficient to justify a departure from the policy.”

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.”

A SENIOR Welsh Conservative has urged the Welsh Government to rethink its approach to business rates, warning that rising bills are pushing some firms in west Wales to the brink of closure.

Samuel Kurtz MS has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Mark Drakeford MS, calling on ministers to consider following England’s apparent change of direction on business rates after reports that the UK Labour Government is preparing to reverse proposed increases south of the border.

In his letter, Mr Kurtz says businesses across Pembrokeshire and west Wales are already feeling the effects of higher rateable values, combined with rising costs and falling footfall. He claims a number of firms closed over the Christmas period, with some owners describing business rate increases as “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

Mr Kurtz, the Member of the Senedd for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said business rates were not experienced as a “technical or neutral exercise” by those affected.

“Businesses experience it as higher bills landing on their doormats at a time when overheads are rising and footfall is falling,” he said. “When we are seeing pubs, cafés and shops closing over Christmas, it is clear that the system is not working for the communities it is supposed to serve.”

He has asked whether the Welsh Labour Government intends to reconsider increases to business rates in light of developments in England, and what action is being taken to support firms facing sharp rises that could render otherwise viable businesses unprofitable.

Mr Kurtz also argues that existing reliefs and protections do not adequately reflect conditions on the ground, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises that fall just outside eligibility thresholds.

“Warm words and reassurances about fairness do not pay the bills,” he added. “What businesses want to know is whether the Welsh Government is prepared to listen, to act, and to prevent more closures on our high streets and in our town centres.”

In response to growing concern, Mr Kurtz and Paul Davies MS are due to host an online meeting on Monday (Jan 26) at 10:30am for businesses across west Wales. The session will focus on the impact of rising rateable values on hospitality, tourism and town-centre firms, and will give business owners the opportunity to share their experiences directly.

The meeting forms part of wider efforts to press for longer-term reform of the non-domestic rates system in Wales, including calls for a freeze or further reduction in the multiplier, broader eligibility for relief, and greater recognition of the pressures facing rural and coastal economies.

Responding to the concerns, a Welsh Government spokesperson said business rates in Wales are devolved and that ministers have already provided targeted support to smaller firms.

They said: “We recognise the pressures facing businesses and have invested more than £1 billion in business rates support since the pandemic. Wales continues to offer one of the most generous packages of relief in the UK, with the majority of small businesses paying no business rates at all.

“We keep the non-domestic rates system under review and will continue to engage with businesses and representative bodies to ensure support is targeted where it is needed most.”

Mr Kurtz, however, warned that without a change of course, further closures were inevitable.

“Unless the Welsh Government acts,” he said, “we will continue to see businesses close, jobs lost and communities hollowed out.”