Sir, I’m 28 and live and work in Tenby. I have seen the plans for the proposed housing estate at Brynhir and am writing this letter to highlight some concerns I have.

Clr. Mike Evans said in the Observer, that we need more local housing to get back to where we were in the ’70s and 80s. Tenby is a very different place now, with 40 per cent of houses being holiday homes. Surely this is where the problems start? Do the council think that by building this development that Tenby will really return to the ‘boom times’?

We can’t cope with the population we already have. It’s already hard enough to get an appointment with our Doctors Surgery or finding a secure job. Let alone driving into Tenby during the school runs and any other events. Surely this is just going to put more pressure on the already struggling services?

Another main concern of mine is that this is Tenby’s last green space. Why are we destroying such a beautiful place which many people enjoy and where so much wildlife lives, instead of protecting it and keeping what people love about Tenby?

I don’t think people are aware of just how much wildlife calls this spot home. From owls, woodpeckers, foxes, badgers, hedgehogs, bees, bats and much more. What happens to them when we build on this last remaining green space they call home?

When I was growing up, I had great fun playing with my friends in the fields at Brynhir, and even though we weren’t far from home, it gave us a sense of freedom. It’s an ideal place to get out into the fresh air and learn about our wildlife. Surely that’s something we should encourage? It’s sad to think future generations won’t be able to enjoy this fantastic natural legacy that we already have on our doorsteps.

I’m not sure what a Locally Equipped Area of Play (LEAP) is, but I’m pretty sure it won’t provide the space and freedom we had, and who’s going to maintain it? We don’t keep up with maintaining the things we already have in the area, with us also soon saying goodbye to our local travel information centre as it’s deemed too expensive to ‘maintain’.

As for keeping an existing ecological zone, surly it’s going to be compromised when each property will probably have at least two cars, and increased light pollution from extra housing that will affect are owl and bat population. Brynhir is a beautiful green space. I don’t think walking through a housing estate is going to give the same enjoyment, do you? Not to mention we are going to have to put up with years of queues to get in and out of Tenby while the roads and utilities are put in for the new development.

I just wonder who this is really benefiting, because it’s not the local people or wildlife who already live here.

Anyone can draw a picture of an ideal housing estate, but with no guarantees the reality is often very different and then it’s ‘too late.’

Please don’t just read this and put it to one side. This affects us all, and if we don’t say anything or do anything, we only have ourselves to blame.

Sophie-Ray Davies

(Tenby resident)