AMENDMENTS to a 52-home scheme in Pembrokeshire, which will provide just four affordable homes due to financial viability concerns, are critical for its delivery in a “stagnant housing market,” councillors heard.

In an application recommended for approval at the January meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, Wakefield Developments Pembrokeshire Ltd sought permission for amendments to a previously-granted scheme for a development of 52 homes on land east of Pilgrims Way, Roch.

The £10m mixed units scheme, granted back in 2024, had drawn concerns that only four affordable units would be provided against a 20 per cent requirement, the developer citing viability reasons for the low number.

Amendments proposed to that scheme included a change in some of the house types, including from apartment arrangement to semidetached town houses, changes to some of the sizing, repositioning of some units, an embankment being replaced by a footpath, and a substation being introduced to serve the new housing estate’s electricity supply.

A report for members accompanying the application said: “As previously accepted and again assessed by virtue of [a valuation] the proposed development is not fully policy compliant, insofar as it cannot deliver the indicative 20 per cent affordable housing sought [by policy].

“However, a substantial positive social impact will arise through the provision of housing, including four one-bed affordable housing units, in meeting identified needs for both market and affordable housing.

“Furthermore, financial obligations as agreed and secured by the extant parent application towards the mitigation of adverse impacts in relation to education and highways, remain as being essential to ensuring that the development is acceptable in planning terms and remain unchanged by this S73 application.”

18 objections to the original scheme were received, raising concerns including an “inadequate” affordable housing level, it being a high-density development for a rural area, a loss of green space, the size of some of the homes, and pressures on existing services and facilities, and fears it may lead to an increase in second homes.

Nolton & Roch Community Land Trust had raised its concerns about a lack of affordable homes at the development, calling for a 20 per cent affordable homes element, as recommended by policy.

Speaking at the January 2026 meeting, agent Gethin Beynon welcomed the recommendation of approval, saying the amendments were critical for the delivery of the development, improving its saleability “in what is a stagnant housing market”.

He said the developers were still building 52 units, in what was “one of the very few new housing developments of this scale in Pembrokeshire” due to limitations placed by the ongoing nitrates issue.

Local member Cllr Nick Neumann said the local community council was supportive of the scheme, with the new housing helping the viability of the local school; Cllr Brian Hall later moving approval of the amendments.

The latest application was backed by 11 votes to one.

A CALL to allow a 600-acre Pembrokeshire potato farm to keep a holiday let erected “in innocence” without permission, which is said to be essential for supporting the business, has been approved.

In an application recommended for approval at the January 13 meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, Mr and Mrs I and F Elliot sought permission for the continued use of a mobile unit with a veranda as tourist accommodation at Cresswell Barn Farm, Cresswell Quay.

Cresswell Barn Farm supplies potatoes to Welsh supermarkets and the site has a certified campsite.

The application was before the committee rather than being delegated for an officer decision as it was recommended for approval, subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement essentially keeping it for holiday use only, despite being in conflict with the development plan and was made by a close family member of an officer in the planning service.

An officer report accompanying the application said an enforcement investigation was started way back in 2012 following a claim a caravan was located at the site and was being used for residential purposes.

That was closed in 2023; a 2022 investigation taking place after an allegation a structure on-site was being used for holiday letting.

A 2023 certificate of lawfulness application was made to regularise the breach of planning, saying the unit had been used for residential purposes for more than a decade, but insufficient information was provided to allow it, the report said.

An appeal against this was later made to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) but was withdrawn by the applicant.

It said the enforcement action was ongoing, leading to the formal planning application.

Of the site itself, the report said: “The agent has confirmed that due to many variables, there is no typical year for the enterprise in terms of profitability and that the income generated from tourist related activities at the farm, is critical to the farming enterprise.  The high-quality holiday unit therefore provides an additional income stream for the farming enterprise.”

It added: “The holiday unit is located adjacent to buildings that make up the farm complex, with the accommodation offering guests an immersive rural experience that introduces them to aspects of the rural economy.

“Information submitted in support of this application confirms that the income from the holiday uses at the site is critical to supplementing the potato farming enterprise.”

Speaking at the meeting, Fiona Elliot said the holiday let was a small-scale part of the wider farm complex; the building having been on-site for some 15 years, the applicants more recently “in innocence” using it as a holiday let, which visitors have described as “five-star,” not realising they needed planning permission.

Following a call by Cllr Brian Hall to back the officer recommendation of conditional approval, members unanimously supported that.

Survey shows SMEs still cautious on hiring and investment, despite a modest lift in new orders

UK SMALL firms are still feeling gloomy about the economy, with confidence stuck near historic lows as weak growth and rising costs continue to bite, according to a quarterly survey by ACCA and the Institute of Management Accountants.

The UK edition of the Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS) found confidence among small and medium-sized businesses dipped slightly in the final quarter of 2025, after a sharper fall in the previous quarter. The findings suggest many SMEs are still struggling to shake off the depressed mood that set in at the end of 2024.

Measures tracking investment and staffing also point to caution. Only a small number of respondents said their businesses – or their clients – had increased spending on capital projects over the past three months, while a higher-than-normal proportion reported cutting back.

On employment, the survey recorded a notable share of businesses reducing headcount or pausing recruitment, with relatively few saying they were hiring or restarting recruitment.

There was, however, a small sign of improvement in future demand. The survey’s forward-looking New Orders Index rose in Q4. While still weak by long-term standards, it was reported to be well above the low point seen during the COVID-19 pandemic – suggesting the underlying picture may not be as bleak as other indicators imply, and that some firms may be positioning themselves for better trading conditions.

Lloyd Powell, head of ACCA Cymru/Wales, said confidence remains “fragile,” arguing that businesses have seen little recovery since a sharp drop following the 2024 Budget. He added that the decline after the 2025 Budget was smaller, but said the impact on SMEs and the wider economy remained significant.

Powell said the modest improvement in new orders could indicate some firms are starting to consider investment again as they spot opportunities emerging.

Cost pressures, meanwhile, remain a major concern. More than four in five respondents reported higher operating costs during Q4, and early warning signs of corporate stress – including late payment issues and worries about customers or suppliers going out of business – stayed high compared with historic levels.

Jonathan Ashworth, ACCA’s chief economist, said the Q4 indicators continue to paint a “very downbeat” picture for UK SMEs, with confidence still struggling to recover from the lows seen at the end of 2024. He warned that 2026 is likely to remain difficult, citing sluggish UK growth and global uncertainty.

The survey notes that further interest rate cuts could ease some pressure on businesses, though ongoing domestic cost inflation suggests the Bank of England may have to approach any reductions carefully.