Developers behind an application to transform an historic landmark in Tenby into a visitor attraction have won an appeal against planning conditions imposed on the project.

The appeal made by Mr. Peter Prosser of Tenby Island Project to the Welsh Assembly Government against the decision of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) to set out a number of conditions on the development of St. Catherine’s Island, was heard at a public inquiry hearing by the Planning Inspectorate in March.

The application for a change of use of the fort and island situated at Castle Beach, to a visitor attraction, was granted approval by PCNPA in July of last year, subject to some 16 planning conditions, 14 of which were disputed by the developer, with the appellant seeking removal of the disputed conditions.

In his report published last week, Planning Inspector James Ellis stated: “The appeal is allowed and the planning permission Ref NP/15/0085/FUL for ‘Change of use of fort and island to visitor attraction uses including C1, D1, D2, with gift, food and drink and retail uses A1, A3; change of use of generator house to ticket and retail use A1, A3; restore/replace railings, install two cranes, two boat landings, construct security residence use C3, construct toilet and pumping facilities, install cliff nature walk, signage, path lighting, operations lighting, replace fort entrance bridge, install services, repair stairs and install new, install CCTV’ at St. Catherine’s Island, granted on July 6, 2015 by the PCNPA, is varied by deleting conditions 3 to 5, condition 7 and conditions 9 to 16 and substituting for them the conditions set out.” 

Having regard to all the evidence, Mr. Ellis stated that the appeal should succeed in relation to some of the conditions in dispute, included in the application, with conditions 9 and 13-15 being deleted, conditions 3, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11 and 16 being deleted and replaced by varied conditions, and condition 12 being deleted and replaced by a varied condition recast as part of condition 11.

Mr. Ellis explained that condition 6 - relating to no amplified sound, music or public address systems being used outside the confines of the fort building, should remain, in the interests of protecting amenity and preventing noise impact on surrounding areas, and that condition 8 - where no display of goods shall be permitted outside the confines of the fort, to preserve the character of the area and the Local Development Plan, shall also be retained.

The full appeal report can be viewed online here: https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ViewCase.aspx?caseid=3135582