A High Court judge has reserved his judgement on the future of a £60 million holiday village in Pembrokeshire. As reported in last week's Observer, a three-day hearing was held in Swansea, when Judge Justice Jacks heard arguments for and against the 'new generation' Bluestone project on land at Canaston Bridge, near Narberth. Part of the development falls within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority and members backed it against the advice of their officers earlier in the year, but that decision has been challenged by the Council for National Parks (CNP). The CNP argued that park authority members disregarded their own policies and advice from officers when they unanimously gave it the go-ahead. Ruth Chambers, CNP's head of policy, said: "The Council for National Parks has undertaken this unprecedented legal challenge because we believe that the Bluestone development, which would in effect be a new town in unspoilt countryside, is completely inappropriate in a National Park. "We believe that the National Park Authority has not adequately justified why it went against the strict planning rules which exist to protect National Parks from developments such as Bluestone. "We are also concerned about the role that members of Pembrokeshire County Council played in the National Park Authority's decision to grant outline planning permission". Bluestone developers, however, claim the scheme will create 600 jobs, plus another 200 for contractors and suppliers. They also say it will cause no substantial environmental damage or set a precedent for other national parks. A decision is expected in the new year.
