CAMPAIGNERS’ hopes to save Tenby’s last piece of green space from a 144-property development look set to fall at the final hurdle.

Pembrokeshire National Park planners are being recommended to give the thumbs-up to the proposals for the site when they meet on March 18.

The outline application, with all matters reserved, has been submitted by Pembrokeshire County Council.

The council, which already owned the site, bought’ the land for £4m in 2018, using its Housing Revenue Account.

The authority wants to build 102 social housing properties, 34 open market and eight shared ownership residential units on the land.

There have been 75 letters of objection to the proposals, raising concerns including the loss of green space, the adverse impact on ecology and wildlife, pressure on schools and health services, the potential for flooding and noise and light pollution.

The Tenby Green Space Preservation Society say that the site would become a ‘concrete jungle’, and that millions of pounds would be spent on building ‘a mix of cheap, ugly housing, including highly-visible three-storey houses’.

Said society chairman Rebecca Nelson: “This is not a case of ‘not on our doorstep’, this is a huge development of very high visibility on a beautiful piece of green space, with potential for ongoing flooding issues and the destruction of our wildlife and habitation.”

She pointed out that if the development went ahead, its population of around 450 people would represent a 10 per cent increase in the winter population of Tenby.

This would lead to hundreds of thousands of litres of sewerage and waste water pouring into the local system with the potential for flooding, she claimed.

The report to the Pembrokeshire National Park Authority’s development management committee states that although many objections relate to the loss of green/open space, the application site is not identified as formal open space, although it has been used by residents as such for some time.

The report adds: “The site has been allocated for residential development for at least two local plan periods, so it has always been anticipated that the site will be developed for housing. “Furthermore, the site is proposing a sufficient amount of open space, equipped play areas and a MUGA (multi-use games area). A public access circular path will also be provided.

“Having regard to the above, the proposal is considered any loss of formal open space is effectively mitigated.”

The authority said that the proposal would be in keeping with the aims of the Local Development Plan, in that the development is considered to provide new affordable and open market residential properties, whilst sustaining the local character of the National Park and not adversely impacting on ecology or highway safety.

The committee is being recommended to allow delegation of the grant of planning permission to its chief executive, director of planning and team leader.

This would be subject to an acceptable appropriate assessment and completion of S106 agreements.

Any application for approval of the reserved matters should be made to the planning authority no later than three years from the date of the permission.

Other conditions include that no development should begin until a written scheme of archaeological investigation has been received and a drainage scheme has been submitted and approved.