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Water quality concerns pause holiday park plans

Bruce Sinclair
Local Democracy Reporting Service
M J Roscoe/Geograph A drive with a bridge over a stream leading to the holiday park. Trees are in the background with a mowed lawn in front, and a series of flags on either side of the bridge. M J Roscoe/Geograph
An application has been submitted for new buildings, lodges, stables, a cafe and a spa at Heritage Park in Stepaside

A decision on plans to expand a Pembrokeshire holiday park will have to wait due to concerns over water quality.

The application by Heritage Park in Stepaside for new buildings, lodges, cafe, stables and a spa was originally approved by Pembrokeshire County Council in 2023.

But the High Court overruled the decision in March, when a judge said the council had not adequately addressed issues over "development in the countryside, sustainability and precedent".

A new application was submitted but has been paused by planners after unfavourable water quality conditions were found in the Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Bay Marine Special Area of Conservation.

It was claimed the expansion of the holiday park, next to the remains of the 19th Century Stepaside ironworks and colliery, would create 44 jobs.

The council had approved the scheme, by 37 votes to 16, with two abstentions, after members of the planning committee supported the proposals, against officer recommendations for refusal.

The economic benefits were found to outweighed the concerns, based on the Local Development Plan, which included the site being outside a settlement area.

The successful High Court challenge was launched by Stepaside and Pleasant Valley Residents' Group, who had objected to the original application.

welshbabe/Geograph A stone ruin wall, with a curved top, three archways and three round windows stands with with no roof. Holiday lodges can be seen behind it through the arches. welshbabe/Geograph
The park expansion is planned next to the remains of the 19th Century Stepaside ironworks and colliery

The latest application, submitted by Heritage Leisure Development (Wales) Ltd, aims to address the issues raised by the court ruling.

In its lengthy submissions, planning agent Lichfields suggested members of the planning committee "can reach a decision that is contrary to the development plan without setting a precedent".

The agent described the application as a "unique development" which would create a "bespoke offering", adding there were "specific reasons why the proposed development at Heritage Park should be granted" without setting "a precedent for future decisions".

Amroth Community Council has objected to the scheme again and the application was recommended to be refused at Tuesday's planning meeting.

However, members of the committee were told no decision could be made on the application due to recently reported unfavourable water quality in the Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Bay Marine Special Area of Conservation, which many of the schemes under the planning authority's jurisdiction discharge into.

Members were told the authority's planners were still digesting the information, and interim advice from Natural Resources Wales said it would be "potentially unsound" to make any decision before sufficient information was available.

The application will return to a future committee.

This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.