Disability-friendly holiday lodges expected to be refused at deer park

Bruce Sinclair – Local democracy reporter

Resubmitted £2m plans for wheelchair accessible holiday lodges at the site of a deer park attraction are again being recommended to be refused.

In an application recommended for refusal at the January 14 meeting of Pembrokeshire County council’s planning committee, Mr and Mrs Evans are seeking permission for 15 lodges at Great Wedlock, Gumfreston, near Tenby, the site of a 176-acre deer farm attraction, and a more recently-granted market traders’ barn.

An earlier application for the lodges was recommended for refusal by officers at last July’s planning meeting, but, at the start of that meeting, members heard the application had been withdrawn at the agent’s behest.

Impact

Reasons for refusal given to members included it was outside of an identified settlement boundary in a countryside location, it was considered to have an adverse impact on visual amenity and did not include a Green Infrastructure statement.

A supporting statement for the latest application says: “Over the last 48 years, my wife and I have developed holiday parks firstly in Pembrokeshire and then throughout the UK.

We decided to return to Pembrokeshire where it all started for us in 1976, to develop the deer park and are now looking to develop the wheelchair accessible lodge development, to support our business and for the benefit of Pembrokeshire and its economy.

Tourism 

“In 2020 we bought Great Wedlock Farm and set about applying for planning permission to open the farm to the public to provide a new tourism destination and allow visitors to re-connect with the countryside and natural beauty Pembrokeshire has to offer. The deer were purchased from Woburn Abbey and some from the late Queen’s estate (to ensure the highest quality of deer breeding stock). We opened the deer park in May 2023 with a great emphasis on catering for disabled persons and the elderly.”

They have previously said build costs to complete the development would be circa £2m.

Following the withdrawal, amended proposals have been submitted by the applicants through agent Atriarc Planning, following a consultation recently held with St Florence Community Council.

St Florence Community Council did not support the previous application, but has supported the latest scheme, saying there is no other phase of lodge accommodation at this location and the accommodation would suit a wide range of disabilities.

An officer report, again recommending planners refuse the scheme, for similar reasons to previously, adding: “The material considerations put forward in the Agent’s supporting Planning Statement are not sufficient to overcome the conflict with relevant Development Plan policies.”