THE Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship Cardigan Bay, renowned for its recent humanitarian efforts in Gaza, has returned to UK shores but faces an unexpected obstacle. The vessel is currently stuck in Portland due to a lack of available sailors, delaying its planned journey to Falmouth for a vital refit.

The Cardigan Bay arrived in Portland in early September after more than two years on operations abroad, including a high-profile mission supporting humanitarian aid efforts for the people of Gaza. Despite her distinguished service, the ship cannot proceed to the A&P shipyard in Falmouth, where she is due for a Lloyd’s survey and much-needed maintenance. Crew shortages have left the RFA struggling to find enough certified personnel to navigate the ship on what should have been a routine passage.

During her deployment, Cardigan Bay was re-tasked from operations in the Persian Gulf to the eastern Mediterranean in March 2024, where she played a pivotal role in supporting US-led efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. The vessel provided accommodation for over 200 US Army personnel working to build a temporary floating pier, allowing essential supplies to reach the region.

Despite technical challenges on board, including unreliable air conditioning and satellite communications, Cardigan Bay‘s crew displayed exceptional resilience in the face of difficult conditions. Captain Mark Colley praised the team for their “professionalism and resolve” as they helped deliver 8,800 tonnes of food aid, a vital lifeline for the people of Gaza. The operation, however, received little attention from international media, overshadowed by other global events.

Now back in the UK, the Cardigan Bay is caught in a personnel crisis that reflects broader issues within the RFA. For years, the organisation has relied on the goodwill of its mariners to keep operations running, but a long-standing dissatisfaction over pay and working conditions has reached a breaking point. This shortage of sailors has not only delayed the Cardigan Bay‘s refit but also threatens the future operational capabilities of other RFA ships, such as RFA Tidespring, which is also stranded in Portland.

“It’s a worrying sign for the future of the RFA,” one insider commented. “In the past, we could have found volunteers for a short passage like this, but morale has hit rock bottom.”

The situation raises concerns about the RFA’s ability to maintain its fleet and fulfil its essential roles. As a key part of the Royal Navy’s auxiliary force, the RFA supports military operations worldwide, providing logistics, mine countermeasures support, and humanitarian assistance. The inability to crew ships risks undermining these critical functions at a time of increasing global instability.

In stark contrast to the Cardigan Bay’s quiet homecoming, HMS Diamond, which had escorted her through the treacherous Bab el Mandeb Strait, was met with fanfare upon returning from its own challenging deployment. The lack of celebration for Cardigan Bay speaks volumes about the struggles now facing the RFA.

The ship’s delayed refit is expected to cause only minor disruptions in the short term, but longer-term concerns loom large. With a dwindling pool of certified sailors, there is growing speculation that some RFA vessels may never return to active service after undergoing maintenance.

As residents of Cardigan and the wider West Wales area take pride in the ship that bears their town’s name, the uncertainty surrounding the future of Cardigan Bay and the RFA as a whole will undoubtedly be of great concern.

A PRE-APPLICATION consultation on plans to build 35 affordable homes on the site of the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel, Pembroke Dock is to be launched next week.

In a prime location at one of the entrances to Pembroke Dock the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel has been derelict since a fire in March 2019, which brought emergency services from as far afield as Ammanford, Aberystwyth and Swansea.

A previous planning application for the demolition of the hotel and siting of a residential care home and linked bungalows was submitted in October 2022 and which was subsequently granted permission in February 2023.

This permission, whilst in outline, is still live and allows for the loss of the hotel use of the site and its alternative redevelopment as a residential care home.

The site has now been purchased by Castell Group Property Specialists who specialise in delivering affordable housing in South Wales and have undertaken a joint development deal with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) and that deal was agreed back in April 2024.

Castell Group Property Specialists, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, now wants to demolish what is left of the hotel, with a development of two-storey affordable housing units, with landscaping and ecological enhancements, the housing being 100 per cent affordable, in a mix of a mix of social rent and affordable housing.

Initial discussions with the council were for 38 affordable units, which has been lowered to 35 in a mix of 16 x 1 bed units, 11 x 2-bed units, 6 x 3-bed units and 2 x 4 bed units.

Anyone who wishes to make representations about this proposed development must do so by the October 18, the formal consultation period commencing on September 18.

Details may be viewed here.

Responses should be emailed or posted to Hayston Development & Planning Ltd, Planning Studio, Hayston Bridge, Johnston, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, SA62 3HJ.

A formal application to Pembrokeshire County Council will follow the pre-consultation.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has previously said the 2019 fire was started by a deliberate act.
Following a fire investigation, Dyfed-Powys Police said they found there to be insufficient evidence to identify a suspect.

A FORMAL consultation on changes to Pembrokeshire’s local development plan, with an ambition to create nearly 2,000 affordable homes, is to go ahead.

At an extraordinary council meeting taking place on September 13, councillors approved a public consultation on the Replacement Pembrokeshire County Council Local Development Plan (2017-2033) – LDP 2, Deposit Plan 2.

The consultation will take place later this year and run for a minimum of six weeks.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) sets out the local policy framework for determining planning applications and directing growth in the part of Pembrokeshire for which the county council has planning jurisdiction.

The report and proposal for a consultation was presented – and the recommendation moved – by Cabinet Member for Planning & Regulatory Services Cllr Jacob Williams, who tempted fate and superstition by pointing out that not only was the meeting being held on Friday 13, but the recommendation in the report was on page 13.

The report for members stated: “Pembrokeshire County Council’s current LDP was adopted in 2013 and has an end date of 2021, although it remains in force as the adoption of the plan pre-dated the formal introduction of statutory end dates for LDPs in Wales.

“Nonetheless the current LDP is now more than 11 years old and the need to prepare and adopt a replacement LDP is paramount, in order to make provision for the new growth needed to support communities and businesses up until 2033 and to protect and enhance Pembrokeshire’s environment.”

The new LDP2 includes a 60/40 per cent split between new dwellings proposed in the urban and rural areas, with a target of 5,840 dwellings, 2,000 of them affordable.

There are three strategic residential allocations made by LDP 2:  Slade Lane, Haverfordwest; Maesgwynne, Fishguard; and South of Conway Drive, Steynton, intended to provide 622 new dwellings between them.

In town centre developments, protected retail frontages are retained but their extent has generally been reduced, with no residential use at ground floor level in the primary frontages, residential use above ground floor level being supported.

Two solar array allocations are included in the plan, at Llanstadwell and Wolfscastle, and a coastal change policy, which limits development in areas vulnerable to flooding due to sea-level rise.

A new policy on water quality, including protection of water resources, is also included, responding to the river water quality issues in the Cleddau and Teifi catchments.

Council leader Cllr Jon Harvey said there was a need for additional affordable housing, expressing his frustration at some developers “trying to chip away” affordable housing promises in developments.

The consultation is expected to be launched later this autumn.