The future of a multi-million pound holiday village for Pembrokeshire still hangs in the balance. The Court of Appeal heard the Council for National Parks' (CNP) appeal against the High Court's judgement on the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's approval of the Bluestone holiday village on Friday. This was the latest phase in the battle to prevent the 'holiday village' from being created in the Park's countryside. Three Appeal Court judges will now decide whether or not the holiday village will be built, a decision which will have far-reaching implications for all of the National Parks. At last week's hearing, the judges reserved their decision in order to give it in writing at a later date. Ruth Chambers, CNP's head of policy, said: "The appeal is a test case. Government policy is that National Parks have the highest level of landscape protection, but the Bluestone decision has made a mockery of this. The court will rule on whether the Bluestone developer's claim of local economic benefit should be allowed to displace planning policies established to protect National Parks. This decision is important for all the National Parks." Sylvia Davies, CNP's Welsh affairs officer, added: "This case is crucially important for the Welsh National Parks, which cover 20 per cent of Wales, are vital for the nation's economy and an important part of our culture. They are green lungs for the people of Wales and the millions of visitors who come to enjoy the Parks' beauty, peace and quiet. "We are grateful for the support that we have received for our legal action from local people in Pembrokeshire, as well as from the rest of Wales and elsewhere in the UK. This reflects the wide public interest in this case and in the protection of the National Parks. Without this public support and the efforts of our committed legal team we would not have been able to bring this challenge." "Whatever happens at the Court of Appeal, we will continue to work with governments in Westminster and Cardiff and with all of the National Park Authorities to ensure that the Parks and their communities have a viable future that delivers employment and social gains in ways that do not destroy their special environment," concluded Ruth Chambers. Following the hearing, the Park Authority said it was very satisfied and remained confident the latest challenge would be dismissed.
