A PEMBROKESHIRE seaside village pub will have to remove decking, installed for safety reasons after a child had near miss with a vehicle, because it fell foul of national park policy.

Kath Lunn, of the Hibernia Inn, Angle, sought retrospective planning permission from Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to keep wooden decking installed at the front of the pub in April of this year.

The application was submitted after national park enforcement investigation.

The proposal – in the village’s conservation area – was supported by Angle Community Council, and two letters in support of the scheme, on highway safety grounds, were also received.

Kath Lunn, in her application said the decking was erected following a near miss with a child on the adjoining road earlier this year.

“There has always been bench seating there with umbrellas, but earlier this season there was a very close miss when a diner’s child ran into the road and was almost knocked down. We felt it our duty of care to the customers to make the area safe.

“We considered a brick wall but thought this decking would be more aesthetically pleasing being made of natural wood. We did extend out a little further than we wanted to, to avoid cars parking and causing an obstruction in the roadway as we have experienced this in the past.”

Concerns were raised about the design by the park’s building conservation officer, who said: “The works clearly neither preserve the character or appearance of the conservation area, especially the latter.

“I am aware of the problems facing village pubs and the need to provide improved facilities – and the pub is clearly vital to the community.

“There is potential here for an alternative scheme whereby the front garden is enclosed by a traditional wall and the tables and chairs provided within a nicely landscaped frontage. That would be a gain from the original open tarmac area and hopefully would provide a viable option.”

An officer report for park planners recommended refusal on the grounds of the impact it would have on Angle’s Conservation Area.

It added: “The applicant has stated that the new decking would create a safer area for patrons, due to the front seating area being in close proximity to the highway.  This application has been submitted as a result of investigations being carried out by the authority’s enforcement investigation section. It is understood that the raised decking has only been erected on site earlier this year.”

While the conservation officer’s alternatives were noted, “the current application is a refusal due to the impact on the Conservation Area,” adding: “It is considered by officers that the retrospective development appears as a bulky adjunct when viewed from the highway and stands out as a discordant element within the village, at odds with the prevailing character and appearance of the street scene and neighbouring listed buildings, which form an important part of the setting.”

PLANS to convert a prominent historic former department store, which operated for more than a century in the seaside town of Tenby, to a spa hotel and restaurant have been submitted.

Wil Crockford, of Bassett Crockford Holdings Ltd, in an application submitted to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park through agent Gerald Blain Associates Limited, is seeking a change of the former TP Hughes department store on the town’s High Street to a 17-bed spa hotel, restaurant and cafe/bar, along with associated extensions and alterations.

The property has two buildings sitting either side of St Nicholas’s Lane with retail frontages on both the town’s Upper Frog Street and High Street, linked by a first-floor Edwardian bridge which stretches over St Nicholas’s Lane.

The property was occupied by the well-known TP Hughes department store from 1902 to 2017, the TP Hughes name still visible in a mosaic step on Upper Frog Street and a stain glass window on the bridge.

It is sited within the Grade-I-listed medieval defensive town walls of Tenby, a designated scheduled ancient monument.

The site, more recently occupied by clothing retailer M&Co before its closure was announced last year, is also in the town’s conservation area, next to three listed buildings.

A supporting statement submitted through Gerald Blain Associates Limited said: “The proposed scheme would remodel the interior of the building to create a 17-bedroom spa hotel, café/ bar and restaurant. The internal remodelling would include the repositioning of the staircases, lifts and partitions.”

It adds: “Existing external features of architectural quality such as the sash windows, bridge, former shop frontages would be restored and repaired as necessary. The bridge includes several notable features include a dome, metal railings and stained-glass windows, all of which would be retained and restored.  New solar panels, heating and air conditioning systems would be installed on the roofs to improve the energy efficiency of the building.”

Giving reasons for the applied-for change of use, it says: “The closure of two retailers at the property in the last 10 years serves as evidence of this change in the high street. Also, the applicant is aware that several retailers have closed on Upper Frog Street in recent times,” adding that a change of use for a nearby business, the former Clarices toy shop, has been approved.

It says a pre-application enquiry “did explore the potential for a small aspect of retail on the ground floor,” but says it is now viewed as unviable.

The scheme will be considered by park planners at a later date.

WELSH pirate-inspired rum maker Barti Rum welcomes a brand-new partnership with Tesco as it unveils two new products, its spiced rum, and Cream Liqueur drink to stores nationwide.

The two beverages have hit shelves, exclusively, as of September 16 and are the first Barti Rum products to appear in mainstream supermarkets.

Both the spiced rum and cream liqueur are packaged in a sustainable model, being made from 50% recycled glass with the label being made from fully biodegradable cane sugar byproducts.

Brewed with the culture of the Pembrokeshire at the heart of it, the silky smooth and elegant taste is married together with the infusion of wild hand-picked laver seaweed from the Pembrokeshire coast, having umami undertones which further soften and enrich the taste at 35% alcohol.

Managing Director, Fran Barnikel said: “We understand the importance of history and tradition and we instil this into every bottle we brew.

“Our rum is the perfect marriage between Caribbean distilling and Welsh flavour.

“With this new spiced rum, we are able to bring the Pembrokeshire flavour reaches every corner of the country and we can’t thank Tesco enough for being a part of this.”

The Barti bottle label displays a traditional Welsh ship on top of waves, alluding to the historic past of the name ‘Barti.’

Barti’s Cream Liqueur is a plant-based drink that provides a creamy full-bodied taste combined with vanilla, clove, cinnamon and hint of orange. The drink is a great choice for vegans and those that enjoy lactose free diets.

The cream liqueur is also Barti’s most awarded beverage having won seven awards at the World Drinks Awards some of which being “Best in Country”, “Best New Launch” and “Best Bottle Design”.

The Barti name goes back to the 17th century when a young man named John ‘Barti Ddu’ Roberts from the small village of Casnewydd Bach, Pembrokeshire, took to the seas with the hopes of making a name for himself in the British Royal Navy.

Where John searched for fame, he in fact found infamy when he was captured by pirates and forced to become a part of the crew.

The Barti beverage listings are the latest milestones from owner and creator of Barti Rum drinks, Jonathan Williams.

Since leaving his day job 14 years ago, Jonathan has created various business using his home county of Pembrokeshire as influence and inspiration.

He created and has run the successful café Mor at Pembrokeshire at Freshwater West for the past 14 years along with the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company for 12. Here he won gold at the British Street Awards and has catered at major events such as the Olympic Village and Glastonbury.

Tesco Wales buyer Nathan Edwards expressed his excitement about the new launch and is certain that it will go down well with shoppers.

“We are enormously proud to be the first retailers to have Barti Rum drinks on its shelves.

“The Barti Rum drinks are synonymous with enjoyment and fun in Wales, and we are happy to be a part of their journey in bringing the Pembrokeshire flavour and culture to the whole of Wales.

“I am proud that we have landed the exclusive launch, and I look forward to an ongoing partnership with this company that is so rich in history.”

Barti Spiced Rum is the latest new Welsh product to be launched by Tesco in Wales, with the supermarket’s Wales-based buying team planning further product launches this year to further expand its industry-leading range of Welsh products in stores.