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It was previously due to be considered by committee in April and June, being withdrawn from both meetings.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

PEMBROKESHIRE could soon introduce an additional separate kerbside waste collection service for soft plastics, at a cost of nearly £1m over three years, in a call recommended for approval by senior councillors.

At the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members are recommended to introduce a weekly kerbside soft plastics collection service for all households in Pembrokeshire, joining the existing recycling collections.

The proposed service will enable the separate collection of soft plastic packaging such as carrier bags, food wrap, and plastic film alongside the council’s existing kerbside recycling system, in line with Welsh Government expectations, a report for members says.

Cabinet is asked to approve the scheme be implemented by the end of March 2027 and to procure the necessary materials and treatment arrangements to support delivery.

At present soft plastics are not included in the ‘core’ set of materials collected by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The report ahead of that meeting says the four UK governments have previously stated that “recyclable plastic film and flexible packaging is to be collected for recycling from both households and businesses across the UK by March 31, 2027”.

The Pembrokeshire proposal follows a pilot scheme in the Vale of Glamorgan, and, based on modelling, it is estimated that Pembrokeshire could generate approximately 419 tonnes of recyclable soft plastics a year.

If approved, residents will be issued with an initial supply of red tie-handle bags (equivalent to 52 weeks’ supply), the same colour as the existing plastics and cans recycling bags; the proposed plastics bags collected on a weekly basis alongside existing kerbside recycling.

In order to meet the Welsh Government’s target implementation deadline of March 31 of next year, it is proposed that bag distribution will take place from mid-February, with free additional bags provided after the initial roll-out.

Total costs of the proposed scheme are 2026-‘27: £215,000; ’27-’28: £361,000; ’28-’29: £373,000, amounting to £949,000 over the three-year period.

The report says, at present, the recycling costs for soft plastic is above the cost for the material to be sent to Energy from Waste, but it is anticipated that the cost difference will decrease over time, with all costs for rollout and recycling offset through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) funding.

The report adds: “The cost of implementation is expected to be lower than the long-term financial risk of non-compliance, including increased residual disposal costs (following the introduction of the Emissions Trading Scheme in 2028) and loss of EPR income.”

It is recommended to approve the introduction of the scheme, along with a procurement exercise for the supply of soft plastics collection bags and a supporting offtake arrangement for the treatment of collected materials, with an estimated contract value of £272,000.