Plans to turn a Tenby landmark into a new visitor attraction would take away the "majesty and mystery" of an historic island, residents living near Castle Beach have told planning officers.

The controversial application, submitted by Mr. Peter Prosser, of the Tenby Island Project, involves a change of use of the fort on the resort's St. Catherine's Island.

Full planning permission is being sought for a number of works on the island to allow it to be used as a visitor attraction, providing exhibition and storage space, food and drink, and retail uses.

However, it now looks as if the application is set to be turned down by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's development management committee, with planning officers recommending that it be refused.

A number of reasons have been cited for refusal, according to a report by case officer for the authority, Julia Evans, which claims that the application has been submitted with "ambiguous, insufficient, and contradictory information".

The officer says that she is concerned that the impact of the proposal on the special qualities of the National Park, the Tenby Conservation Area, the Scheduled Ancient Monument, the listed buildings and the settings of nearby listed buildings, and on national and internationally important habitats and protected species, cannot be ascertained.

The scheme also proposes an unacceptable level of lighting that is harmful to the special qualities of the National Park, along with proposed solar panels, roof-top shops and a new dwelling.

The fort on the island was decommissioned in 1906 and was used as a dwelling in 1914, but regained its military uses during the Second World War. Its last use was as a zoo from 1968 to 1979, but since that time it has been vacant and was scheduled as an Ancient Monument in 1991.

Tenby Town Council, Tenby Civic Society, CADW and Natural Resources Wales are among various organisations and consultees that have objected to the plans, citing insufficient and conflicting information, and stating that the application does not provide the level of detail needed to determine it.

Nearby residents of the Lexden Terrace Conservation Group have also launched a petition objecting to the plans, while the Civic Society have commented that the proposals would result in the "Disneyfication" of St. Catherine's Island.

The group have also made the point that information in the application falls well short in providing details of whether a bridge connecting the island to the mainland would be viable and acceptable, and have asked how the National Park Authority can fully consider the application as plans for any bridge do not actually form part of the scheme as it stands.

They also believe that the provision of a bridge would substantially change the character of the island, eroding its character of detachment, majesty and mystery.

Members of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's development management committee, who are due to discuss the application at their next meeting in Pembroke Dock on Wednesday, were recently told by the authority's head of development management, Vicki Hirst, that they would not be able to undertake a site visit to the island as, following a health and safety assessment, works would have to be carried out just to allow them on.