PEMBROKESHIRE’S council has made 17 purchases of housing in various sizes and a building to be used as a children’s home, amounting to just over £6.5m in just six months.

At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members are asked to note a report covering acquisitions and disposals in excess of £100,000 which have completed between November 1 of 2025 and March 31 of this year.

It lists 18 separate groups of acquisitions, totalling £6,526,967, along with one disposal of the former contact centre, Argyle Street, Pembroke Dock, at £415,000.

For those purchases, grants have been secured to the tune of £6,440,179, the report says.

These acquisitions, all for housing stock in various sizes and amounts, are: 22 The Glebe, Tenby £200,000, with a grant of £119,419; 12 Gay Lane , Marloes, £180,000 (£129,728); 5 St Mary’s Road, Pembroke Dock £125,000 (£76,764); 51 Augustine Way, Haverfordwest £105,000 (£69,126); 82 Heywood Court, Tenby £115,000 (£87,633); 19 Maes Ewan, Solva £220,000 (£165,155); 29 Heol Penlan, Goodwick £132,000 (£86,393); 1 Churchill Close, Tenby £125,000 (£83,571); 3 Westaway Park, Rosemarket £142,000 (£93,134); 22 Churchill Close, Tenby £125,000 (£83,571); 31 Haroldston Close, Merlins Bridge £110,000 (£62,318); 28 Flemish Court, Lamphey £160,000 (£114,597); 7 Precelly Place, Milford Haven £125,000 (£81,578); 17 Newell Hill, Tenby 170,000 (£120,098).

Larger acquisitions are: 3 Rose Haven, The Beacon, Rosemarket, of four two-bed houses and six three-bed houses £2,601,967 (£1,725,179); 32, 33, 34 and 35 Harcourt Close, Hook four two-bed semis £864,000; 36 and 37 Harcourt Close, Hook two three-bed semis £552,000, with a grant of £2,821,760 covering 15 units in the case of the latter two.

An additional purchase of Sentry Cottage, Jordanston for a children’s residential home at £475,000, with a £580,152 grant is also listed.

Planning permission for that scheme was granted back in February.

Last November, Cabinet members heard a similar report, covering April 1 to October 31 of 2025, which included includes the purchase of 16 properties for housing stock, to the tune of £3,470,000 and the disposal of two industrial estate plots, at some £278,400.

A DECISION on a £200,000 conversion of a Pembrokeshire village former public house, on which officers wanted to see removed chimneys reinstalled, has been given a breathing space so councillors can view the building.

In an application recommended for partial approval at the June 30 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Craig Kidney sought permission for the removal of chimney stacks and construction of front porch and retaining garden wall at the former Carpenters Arms pub, Cosheston.

The application was for committee consideration as it has been made by or on behalf of a close family member of a member of the council.

It was previously due to be considered by committee in April and June, being withdrawn from both meetings.

It was subject to a split recommendation, approval for the porch and retaining wall, but refusal for the retrospective removal of the two chimney stacks on the basis “the removal of the chimney stacks has had a harmful impact on the character and appearance of this part of the Cosheston Conservation Area, creating harm to visual amenity and the historic environment”.

No objections had been received from Cosheston Community Council, but two letters of objection raised concerns including the impact of proposal on historic character and Conservation Area, and the changes being unauthorised.

Speaking at the meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, who had only taken up the application the previous week, said the applicants were a teacher and plumber who had spent some £200,000 renovating the “run-down property,” the chimneys demolished after advice they were unsafe.

Mr Vaughan-Harries questioned the “legality” of the application forms, saying the paperwork accompanying the scheme was incorrect.

He also said that, while the two chimneys had been removed, there was “a great whopping” chimney at the rear, restored at a cost of some £5,000, adding that while “two wrongs don’t make a right” other chimneys had been “quietly” removed from properties in the conservation area without any objections; suggesting members attend a site visit to view the property prior to any decision.

Officers disputed the planning form was incorrect.

After debate on the merits or otherwise of chimneys in buildings in conservations areas, Cllr Simon Hancock, who is also Dr Simon Hancock  curator of Haverfordwest Museum, said he had been reading around the importance in chimneys in a historical context.

Describing Cosheston as “one of the gems of south Pembrokeshire,” he said he had no problems with the conversion, but felt that “the chimney stacks ought to be replaced,” moving the split approval proposed.

At the behest of Cllr Tony Wilcox “in the interest of natural justice” where “99.9 per cent of the village had no issues whatsoever” with the removal of the chimney stacks, members voted for a site visit ahead of any formal decision, which was supported by seven votes to five.

A PEMBROKESHIRE school at threat of closure as part of education reorganisation in the south of the county is now expected to remain open following a call from the council’s deputy leader.

Stepaside CP School was being earmarked for closure by Pembrokeshire County Council, as part of proposals to establish a new 3-11 primary school on the Saundersfoot School site, discontinuing both Saundersfoot School and Stepaside school.

The Stepaside proposal was based on surplus places for all the schools in the proposals, with Stepaside having a surplus capacity of over 50 per cent, councillors had previously heard.

An e-petition on the council’s own website, started by Angela Robinson, called upon Pembrokeshire County Council “to Save Stepaside School and work with local communities to look at alternative solutions” attracting nearly 2,000 signatures.

In March, a vote at a full meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council reaffirmed the decision of last December, that the Director for Education be authorised to commence statutory consultation to discontinue Stepaside and Saundersfoot schools and establish the new three-11 primary school.

Since then, Pembrokeshire’s deputy leader, who has recently taken on Cabinet member responsibility for education, is now recommending the school doesn’t close.

That takes the form of a notice of motion, due to go before full council meeting on July 16 which, if approved by, rescinds the earlier December 2025 decision.

Cllr Miller said: “Following a thorough review, I have decided to recommend to Council that it not proceed with the closure of Stepaside School. I believe the school is providing good educational outcomes for its local population and is sustainable in its current form.”

The statement was welcomed by Angela Robinson of Standing Together for Stepaside School, who said: “After months of challenges for our dedicated staff, students, families, and the Kilgetty community, we’re thrilled to share that Stepaside School is here to stay!

“With 1,952 signatures backing our cause, we’ve shown just how vital our school is to the community. We’ve held meetings with council members and engaged our Senedd and Parliament representatives, resulting in countless discussions, reports and late nights trying to challenge an unfair process.

“Our community has truly rallied together, building stronger relationships along the way.”

Local county councillors Alistair Cameron and Alec Cormack, who both battled to keep the school open, said they were delighted by the decision, indicating their support for the motion.

Cllr Cameron said: “We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mr Jones, Headteacher at Stepaside School, and all of his colleagues at the school for their continued dedication and hard work to the school children during this very unsettling time.

“Thank you also to the parents, governors and local residents for their magnificent support for our local school. I never believed it was right to consider closing Stepaside School with its modern building, stable pupil numbers of over 100 and excellent report from the school inspectors, Estyn.

“The school staff can now concentrate on what they do best, which is to provide excellent education in a caring and nurturing environment.”

Cllr Cormack welcomed the Cabinet decision: “This decision removes the cloud of reorganisation hanging over both Saundersfoot and Stepaside/Kilgetty. Now both head teachers, staff and governing bodies can continue to deliver excellent education to their local communities.”