News

Dock’s councillors unite against tanker park plan

Published

4 years ago

August 11, 2021

AN IMPASSIONED personal address by Pembroke Dock Central councillor Paul Dowson helped sway Planning Committee members away from backing the creation of a tanker park on Criterion Way, Pembroke Dock.

Councillor Dowson put aside recent controversies to make a cogent and compelling case for rejecting the application, which was supported by the Council’s Planning Department.

Paul Dowson drew attention to the proposed tanker park’s location near a local picnic area and the likely effect of increased traffic to and from the site on Pembroke Dock’s creaking and congested roads.

He observed that the County Council had an unfortunate track record of dumping developments nowhere else in Pembrokeshire wanted onto Pembroke Dock.

Near a local picnic area: Cllr Dowson is against the proposal (Pic BBC News)

He went on to suggest that if there was a development that would create a smell or a public nuisance, it usually ended up in the Town.

Referring jokily to a remark made earlier by Cllr Mark Carter, he suggested that the site’s development would be like storing explosives to break into cashpoints near the town centre.

He found backing from his fellow Pembroke Dock county councillors, Brian Hall and Tony Wilcox.

Speaking with the benefit of forty years in the garage business, Cllr Hall pointed out the proposed tanker park’s closeness to a massive fuel tank at the nearby Asda petrol station, a large tyre business immediate adjacent to the location, a garage nearby, and two supermarkets within fifty yards of it.

Brian Hall said the risk of catastrophic damage to the area in the event of a fire was such that he could not support the proposal.

He insisted that only someone unfamiliar with Pembroke Dock and its huge traffic problems could possibly think locating the site on Criterion Way was a good idea.

As it was impossible for those councillors on the Committee from rural wards, he said that the Committee should come and see the location for itself and assess its suitability for the development proposed.

He also said there was an alternative location, on land already owned by the Port Authority, outside the town at Kingswood.

Cllr Tony Wilcox remarked that he had heard enough to justify rejecting the application without a site visit.

He pointed out that there was more risk from empty tankers full of fumes than there was from full tankers; a provision that formed a key part of the proposals.

He added that on a still day in Pembroke Dock, the smell of nearby refineries and industrial activity pervaded the town.

Cllr George Manning of Pembroke Dock Town Council said the Town’s own Planning Committee was unanimously opposed to the development.

He said that Pembroke Dock’s roads were already struggling to cope with traffic to and from the Port and that, with developments planned for the Royal Dockyard, that traffic would only increase.

There was, Cllr Manning said, a risk of loss of an existing amenity, saying that nobody would choose to go for a stroll or a picnic so near to a truck park.

There would be no economic benefit to the Town. He reminded members that the land nearby was earmarked for leisure and housing development, including the much talked about marina project.
Under questioning from Cllr Mark Carter, the developer’s agent confirmed that the development would create no new jobs for Pembroke Dock.

He added, however, that the scheme would reduce the transit time for deliveries and the number of miles tankers travelled.

Responding to the councillors’ concerns regarding safety, Head of Planning David Popplewell said that potential safety concerns were not a matter for the Planning Committee.

Those issues, he said, were separate considerations with a different set of statutory considerations by other agencies.
Councillors noted that the proposed development also took place in a Conservation Area and questioned the absence of an NRW report on its environmental impact.

David Popplewell explained that no NRW report had been received by the local authority and that there was no indication of when it might arrive.

Councillors remarked that it seemed odd to recommend the scheme’s approval absent an environmental assessment.
Mr Popplewell said that if responsibility for final approval was delegated to officers, the NRW report would be considered at that stage.

He added that even if Planning Committee members were minded to reject the application, the NRW report would still need to come back before them before they reached a final decision.

Committee members decided to go on a site visit to the area before their next meeting in September, at which point they expected the NRW report to be available.

Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port yesterday afternoon, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock shortly after 4pm on Wednesday, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, is due to arrive in the early hours of this morning (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.

The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived yesterday with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

Port of Milford Haven shipping movements showed the Peak Bergen approaching the Haven throughout Wednesday morning before finally tying up at the cargo berth in Pembroke Dock. Cranes began unloading operations yesterday evening.

Weather conditions are currently favourable for this morning’s arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin next week, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide training opportunities and energy-bill support for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.

Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

Crime

Banned for 40 months after driving with cocaine breakdown product in blood

Published

3 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Sarah-Jane Absalom

A MILFORD HAVEN woman has been handed a lengthy driving ban after admitting driving with a controlled drug in her system more than ten times over the legal limit.

SENTENCED AT HAVERFORDWEST

Sally Allen, 43, of Wentworth Close, Hubberston, appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (Dec 4) for sentencing, having pleaded guilty on November 25 to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug above the prescribed limit.

The court heard that Allen was stopped on August 25 on the Old Hakin Road at Tiers Cross while driving an Audi A3. Blood analysis showed 509µg/l of Benzoylecgonine, a breakdown product of cocaine. The legal limit is 50µg/l.

COMMUNITY ORDER AND REHABILITATION

Magistrates imposed a 40-month driving ban, backdated to her interim disqualification which began on November 25.

Allen was also handed a 12-month community order, requiring her to complete 10 days of rehabilitation activities as directed by the Probation Service.

She was fined £120, ordered to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £114 surcharge. Her financial penalties will be paid in £25 monthly instalments from January 1, 2026.

The bench—Mrs H Roberts, Mr M Shankland and Mrs J Morris—said her guilty plea had been taken into account when passing sentence.

Local Government

Sewage leak at Pembroke Commons prompts urgent clean-up works

Published

4 hours ago

December 4, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Council pollution officers say they have no enforcement powers over Welsh Water infrastructure

SEWAGE contamination on the Commons in Pembroke has prompted an urgent response from pollution officers, after a leak was reported by a member of the public on Tuesday.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Pollution Control Team confirmed they were alerted yesterday afternoon to sewage surrounding a manhole cover on the site. The Herald understands that officers immediately notified Welsh Water (DCWW) network technicians to investigate the incident “as a matter of urgency”.

County councillor Jonathan Grimes, who represents Pembroke St Mary South and Monkton, said the authority had been clear that it holds no enforcement powers over Welsh Water assets.

“Whilst we work constructively with Welsh Water, we have no authority to intervene on their apparatus or to carry out enforcement action against them for such pollution incidents,” the Pollution Control Team said in a statement shared with the councillor.

Urgent works underway

Council officers visited the site on Wednesday morning alongside contractors and Welsh Water technicians to assess clean-up options. According to the team, works will include cleaning the contaminated ground in and around the manhole cover and fencing off the affected area “until safe”.

Cllr Grimes said officers would return to the scene on Thursday to check on progress and ensure the area is properly secured.

Residents who notice any further issues have been urged to contact the Pollution Control Team directly.

Further updates are expected later this week.