A flawed planning decision on the Pembrokeshire coast


On Wednesday, the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park approved a planning proposal for a visitor centre, an adventure sports hub, for ‘coasteering’. Coasteering (click here) is ‘getting up close and personal with wildlife’ and that can create problems if the wildlife doesn’t want such attention. Because the proposed development could affect several sites designated for their high wildlife value, most notably the Cardigan Bay Special Area of Conservation (click here), something called a Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) had to be made. That assessment admitted that the proposed development would have an impact on wildlife but we believe that its impact could be serious.

Wild Justice submitted a critique of the HRA before this week’s planning meeting and pointed out that:

Where adverse impacts cannot be ruled out, Wild Justice notes Policy 11 of PCNPA Local Development Plan 2, which states that development likely to have an adverse effect on national protected species will only be permitted where it is demonstrated that: the population range and distribution of the species will not be adversely impacted; there is no suitable alternative development; the benefits clearly outweigh adverse impacts on protected species; and appropriate avoidance, mitigation and compensation measures are provided.

We believe the HRA is flawed and that the decision to approve planning permission may be unlawful. We think that is what the local Grey Seals would think too and we are seeking legal advice on whether we can challenge the planning decision.

For more information on the issue: click here and click here.