Tenby councillors have said that they would find it hard to reverse their objections to plans to turn St. Catherine's Island into a new visitor attraction, despite supporting the ideas that the developer has proposed.

Discussing a request from Mr. Peter Prosser, of the Tenby Island Project, to reconsider their objections to the application which goes before Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's development management committee on Wednesday, in light of a site visit that some councillors undertook on the island, members said that the fact that it did not include plans for the bridge aspect of the scheme, would make it difficult for them to change their views.

Members of the town council had previously passed on their views to the National Park Authority, in which they objected to the application, citing insufficient and conflicting information as the main reason.

Speaking at Tuesday night's meeting of the council, Clr. Dr. Peter Easy, who went on the site visit along with colleagues Will Rossiter and Lawrence Blackhall, said that he was in two minds about the project.

"Initially I had a feeling of support towards the project, as I really feel that something needs to be happening on the Island and it would be perfect for a major attraction for the town, but having visited the island, to say that there is an awful lot of work that would need to be done, is an understatement," said Clr. Easy.

"I would love to see the island developed in the way that the applicant wants it and his enthusiasm for the project is infectious, but without permission for the bridge included within the current plans, I don't see how it could be achieved in a reasonable time scale," he continued.

Clr. Rossiter concurred and said that the bridge was a big stumbling block, as when he stood on the island and looked back towards the views of Tenby, he just couldn't imagine a bridge spoiling the scene.

"The whole business stands and rests on the issue of the bridge," he commented.

Clr. Blackhall said that he had been impressed by what the applicant had to say and the enthusiasm he had shown, but as the council had to deal with the application in its current form, which did not include plans for the bridge aspect, he suggested they should maintain their current position.