Bluestone National Park Resort announced on Monday that they have requested that their planning application for the redevelopment of Black Pool Mill be deferred, so that the authority and consultees have more time to review all of the submitted information.

The application was due to be considered by the development committee of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority on Wednesday.

Liz Weedon, head of projects, said: “We believe that a deferral of the application gives an opportunity for some of the issues raised recently by PCNPA to be addressed in full. We appreciate that this is a complex application with a number of different elements, and we want to ensure that we have answered all concerns and queries that the National Park may have. We are fully committed to getting the best possible scheme that we can for the Mill.

She continued: “We truly believe that the regeneration of the Mill will have great benefits for the whole county. We want to create a project that breathes new life into the Mill whilst retaining the memories of its past and respecting its context, so that the development can go ahead with the full backing of local people.”

John Brandrick, of the Welsh Mills Society, said: “This is the only realistic chance that Black Pool Mill has to be saved. If left, it will continue to crumble. In our experience, these buildings can only survive and have a new life if there is a viable economic use - it is always a question of balance - how to inject new life into the Mill whilst keeping the authenticity of its setting. These buildings were busy industrial centres in the past and we must not forget that if we want to save them.”

FOOTNOTE: The application for the Blackpool Mill conversion and restoration was deferred at a meeting of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s development management committee held in Pembroke Dock on Wednesday.

Chairman of the committee Clr. Rob Lewis told members that the applicants had asked for the matter to be deferred, and he said that the application was likely to reappear some time in the near future.