I note with interest the views of those concerned regarding the proposal to construct new properties in St Florence, highlighted in your August 5edition article.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) allows for Exception Sites and for Cllr Brinsden to state “he does not understand the need for the application”

beggars belief. Cllr Brinsden supported the LDP in its present form when it came before PCC councillors for approval, surely he should have objected at that stage if he felt that there should be no exception site developments.

Ms Sally Starr, a local resident, who it seems would be directly affected by this planning application objected as she felt that she had been let down by the council because they had failed to “protect her from harm” in regard to the construction of the first phase. It was only a housing development construction site not a nuclear power station being constructed.

She also seemed concerned regarding protecting St Florence as a “nice quiet and safe village” perhaps I have missed it but has crime increased dramatically since the construction of the first phase.

I am afraid Ms Starr, villages do have to provide housing for local people but a percentage of that should be for houses to buy or they will be constantly at the mercy of “buy to let” landlords, housing associations and council housing departments.

Cllr Wilcox deemed that the application was the wrong development on the wrong site but did not seemingly elaborate why he had come to that conclusion. Cllr Kidney when objecting to the proposal suggested that it was his duty to represent all his constituents surely an “impossible dream”. Whilst he might have satisfied those directly affected by the proposed scheme there is surely a need for a low cost house purchase development in St Florence. I note that he had been canvassed by the landowner, his past employer, who was in favour of the development. It should be noted that landowners / developers receive a more generous grant from the Welsh Assembly for constructing social housing properties than constructing house purchase properties on exception sites and there lies the problem.

I also note that St Florence Community council objected to the proposal but the article does not give the reasons for their objections. I would have thought the time for their views over housing in St Florence would have been when consulted over the LDP by Pembrokeshire County Council.

I would suggest that this “exception site criteria” based on a so call local housing need has been exploited by both Pembrokeshire County Council and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to provide only rented social housing.

Surely it was the duty of county councillors including Cllr Kidney and the St Florence Community Council to question if there was a need for solely rented housing and for officers to provide the evidence to prove it.

I would suggest that the County Council / Welsh Assembly should encourage the provision of land for self build plots which would allow youngsters with a bit of initiative to construct their family homes. This method enabled many young couples over past generations to own their own properties.

Before anyone suggests that the cost of the plots would be out of the reach of those wishing to purchase we will need to urgently rectify the current situation that allows landowners / developers to sit on the land that has been included in the LDP for years without developing it, thus forcing up the cost of development land.

Malcolm Calver

Manorbier