HM Land Registry cancelled application after purchase of Wiston property as conveyancer points to possible seller misrepresentation

A PEMBROKESHIRE homebuyer was left unregistered as owner of his cottage months after completing the purchase while a historic building control application remained live and incomplete, Pembrokeshire County Council has confirmed.

Wayne Davies bought Kingfisher Cottage, Three Ways, Wiston, on December 17, 2024, for £158,000. But HM Land Registry later cancelled the registration application linked to the purchase, leaving him in limbo while questions mounted over historic building control issues, the presence of a log burner shown in marketing particulars, and what was disclosed during the sale.

The council has now confirmed that building regulations application BR/0735/04 relating to Three Ways, Wiston remains a live application and was never completed.

In a statement to The Herald, Pembrokeshire County Council said the application was “not complete” and confirmed that its records showed the development was incomplete at the time of the sale.

A Pembrokeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Yes – our records historically would show and still shows that the development is incomplete and awaiting completion, this requires the client to contact building control for final inspection for sign off which then follows the formal completion certificate for the development.”

The council also confirmed that the original application was made for “Three Ways Wiston, the now known Kingfisher Cottage,” and that it related to a holiday let.

They added: “It has come to our attention that the building is now being used as a residential home. We have been in contact with the current owner to establish whether the conditions have been met and if a completion certificate can be issued.”

No completion certificate

Documents seen by The Herald include a conditional approval of building plans dated April 22, 2005, relating to the provision of a holiday accommodation unit at Three Ways, Wiston.

That approval included a condition under Part J covering combustion appliances and fuel storage systems, requiring details of any proposed combustion appliance and associated works to be submitted and approved before commencement.

The council said no completion certificate had ever been issued and confirmed no formal enforcement action or notice had been taken.

The case only came to light after Mr Davies made enquiries following concerns relating to a log burner at the property.

Sales particulars seen by The Herald showed the log burner in place and referred to it in the property description.

However, Cardiff-based Gateway 2 Conveyancing, which acted for Mr Davies in the purchase, later stated that it had not received the sale particulars and had therefore been unaware there was a log burner in the property.

In a formal complaint response sent to Mr Davies and seen by The Herald, Robert Dudden, Financial and Compliance Director at Gateway 2, said the firm had requested the sales particulars from the estate agent but did not receive them.

He wrote that Gateway instead carried out an online search and found older rental particulars, which did not mention a log burner and did not make its presence clear from the photographs.

Mr Dudden said the firm had relied on the seller’s TA6 and TA10 forms, which he said now appeared inaccurate in light of what had since come to light.

He said the seller had answered “no” to questions relating to building works, unfinished works, breaches of planning permission or building regulations conditions, guarantees and warranties, and electrical installation matters.

Gateway also said the TA10 fixtures and fittings form made no reference to any free-standing heater, stove fuel, oil, wood or LPG.

Possible seller misrepresentation

In the complaint response, Mr Dudden stated: “It would appear that the information contained in TA6 and TA10 was not accurate from the seller in light of the information now known.”

He continued: “It would appear that there maybe misrepresentation from the seller and we advise you to take advice from a litigation solicitor.”

Gateway said it was unable to uphold Mr Davies’ complaint against the firm, maintaining that it had undertaken the expected enquiries based on the documents and responses it received.

The firm said the historic planning and building control issues were linked to the wider address of Three Ways rather than clearly to Kingfisher Cottage, and said the local authority search report did not reveal the problem in the way it later emerged.

Gateway also said it had made enquiries with the seller’s solicitors about the entries shown on the local authority search, and had been told that the conditions and requirements had been met.

Mr Dudden said the firm was continuing to assist with registration of the property and had recently received contact from the seller’s solicitors.

Land Registry cancellation

The Herald has seen correspondence from HM Land Registry confirming that the original application was cancelled on April 1, 2026.

In a further update sent to Mr Davies, Land Registry said the cancelled application had also led to cancellation of the newly created title linked to the transfer.

Land Registry also confirmed that Gateway 2 had lodged an Official Search on April 1, 2026, giving a priority period until May 15, 2026, and stating that it was now in Mr Davies’ interest for a fresh transfer application to be lodged before that date.

Mr Davies says he has also been contacted by his mortgage lender and told that no mortgage charge has yet been registered because the property has still not been registered in his name.

Estate agent and solicitors

The Herald has previously seen correspondence from Popular Move stating that the issues raised by Mr Davies should have been picked up during the conveyancing process. The agent also indicated that sales particulars showing the log burner had been supplied.

Price & Son Solicitors declined to comment. In an email to The Herald, the firm said: “We do not discuss with the Press whom we act for nor the business affairs of those we do represent.”

Gateway 2 also declined to comment directly to The Herald on the specifics of the case, citing client confidentiality and data protection, but its position is set out in the complaint response later provided by Mr Davies.

Questions remain

The dispute raises a number of serious questions, including whether the unresolved building control position should have been more clearly identified before the sale completed, whether the seller’s replies accurately reflected the true position, and whether the registration failure could have wider consequences for both the buyer and his mortgage lender.

For Mr Davies, the situation remains unresolved more than a year after he instructed solicitors to handle the purchase.

He alleges he has been left fighting on several fronts at once: trying to secure legal title to the property, resolve the building control position, and establish who is responsible for the omissions that have now come to light.

Children kept inside as officers deal with trouble close to Priory Road centre amid growing fears over youth violence

A YOUTH club in Milford Haven was forced to lock its doors with children inside after staff called police to an incident nearby, in a disturbing episode that has left many local people deeply concerned.

The incident happened on Wednesday evening (Apr 22) near Milford Youth Centre on Priory Road, next to The Meads leisure facilities.

Dyfed-Powys Police have now confirmed that the youth club itself was not the scene of the trouble, but that staff took the decision to secure the building while officers dealt with what was happening a short distance away.

In a statement issued to The Pembrokeshire Herald, police said: “Staff at Milford Youth Centre called police due to an incident a short distance away on 22nd April and locked themselves and youth club attendees inside while police dealt with the matter. Young people attending the youth club were not involved in the incident and as soon as it was deemed safe the building was reopened.”

That statement is likely to reassure parents whose children were inside at the time, but it still leaves key questions unanswered about exactly what unfolded nearby, who was involved, and whether any arrests were made.

Before police responded, concern had already been spreading rapidly across Milford Haven through local social media posts and messages sent to The Herald.

A number of those reports claimed that a group of masked youths had been seen in the Priory Road and Trafalgar Road area at around 6:00pm. Some posts alleged that one of the group may have been carrying a knife, although that has not been confirmed by police.

Other local accounts said youths had been seen running through The Meads car park, while one witness claimed that some had earlier climbed onto the roof of the old telephone exchange building nearby. Another account alleged that a member of staff had been subjected to abuse.

Taken individually, some of those claims remain unverified. Taken together, however, they paint a picture of a chaotic and intimidating situation which was serious enough for youth workers to lock down the centre while police attended.

What is clear from the police statement is that staff acted quickly, that the young people inside the club were not involved, and that the building was only reopened once officers judged it safe to do so.

The incident has attracted intense local attention because of heightened nerves over youth disorder and knife-related violence in Pembrokeshire. Earlier this month, four youths aged 13 to 17 suffered stab wounds during serious disorder at Tenby railway station, prompting a major police response and renewed concern about violence involving young people in the county.

In that context, even an incident which ends without confirmed injuries or arrests is enough to send shockwaves through a community already on edge.

Parents, residents and youth workers will now want fuller answers about what happened near the centre, whether those responsible have been identified, and what steps are being taken to prevent further incidents of this kind.

Superintendent Chris Neve returned to frontline duties to work alongside his 19-year-old daughter, PC Abi Neve, in a shift the force said neither will forget

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have shared the story of a father-and-daughter response team who recently worked side by side on duty.

Superintendent Chris Neve stepped back onto the frontline for the shift, joining his daughter, PC Abi Neve, as part of Response Policing Week.

The force said Abi grew up listening to her father’s stories about policing and was inspired to follow the same path, often imagining how rewarding it would be to help people in need.

Speaking about the experience, Abi said: “Before work that day, he was just my dad, but as soon as our shift began, he became my boss and my colleague.

“He has always looked after me since I was born, so it was nice for me to be able to have his back, if needed, for a change.”

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was a moment Chris had long been looking forward to.

Reflecting on the shift, he said working alongside his daughter while supporting victims brought comfort in difficult situations.

He added that while there are times a parent wonders whether their child is still too young, Abi was more than capable of handling herself on response.

Chris said he was proud of the woman she had become and was looking forward to hearing more of her stories as her policing career continues.

The force described the pair as the “ultimate response father/daughter duo” and said it was a shift that would stay with both officers long after Response Policing Week came to an end.

Photo caption:

Family shift: Superintendent Chris Neve and PC Abi Neve on duty together for Dyfed-Powys Police during Response Policing Week (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police).