Judicial review issued by residents in Pembrokeshire over planning consent for caravan park

A legal challenge has been launched to try an overturn a council decision to approved three planning applications – one from 2016 – at a south Pembrokeshire holiday park.

Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee Cllr Jacob Williams told members on Tuesday (March 9) that the Stepaside and Pleasant Valley Residents Group had issued a judicial review to challenge “on a number of grounds” the 2016 planning permission for Heritage park, Stepaside.

He added that the challenge also relates to permission to discharge a number of planning conditions in June 2020 and the decision last month to allowed a section 73 application relating to the size of units and use of a car park.

Cllr Williams said told the committee that officers would meet with counsel later this week to discuss the case, adding the length of time since the permission in 2016 would be the “applicant’s first hurdle.”

In a public post appeal for financial support the residents group states: “SPVRG has exhausted all alternative avenues of persuading PCC to prevent the expansion of the Heritage Park into greenfield areas at the very north of the site, towards Stepaside, including the car park.

“On the advice of our solicitor, Carys Howells of Lewis, Lewis & Co we have appointed barrister Emyr Jones to argue our case.  We expect that there may be several hearings over the next six months or so.

“The first step is to get permission to review the 2016 and 2020 decisions after the normal six week period.  We will first explain how unique the circumstances are.  That is why our Statement of Facts and Grounds is 30 pages in length, supported by a 16 page witness statement and 300 pages of evidence.”