A Pembrokeshire council scheme for an overnight motorhome and campervan parking site close to Fishguard’s ferry is expected to be approved by planners tomorrow.

A trial scheme for overnight motorhome parking facilities at the Goodwick Moor car park, The Parrog, was mooted last year after a February 2024 council Cabinet-backed trial scheme for ‘Pembs Stop’ campervan and motorhomes facilities at four car parks was later dropped.

It had initially been agreed that car parks at North Beach, Tenby; Goodwick Moor, Goodwick; Townsmoor, Narberth; and Western Way, Pembroke Dock would form the trial areas operating year-round at £10 a night for a trial 18-month period, with the intention not to create ‘campsites’.

That planned trial received national coverage, with a discussion on a phone-in programme on BBC Radio Wales.

Local tourism businesses had said the proposals will harm them, and concerns about the trial were also raised by the official tourism industry group for Pembrokeshire, Visit Pembrokeshire.

Following that, a special council scrutiny committee meeting was held last April where the scheme was overwhelmingly rejected; a later September 2024 Cabinet agreeing to not proceed with the scheme but instead trial an overnight stopover facility for motorhomes at Goodwick Moor car park, linked to the ferry port.

A formal planning application for a conditional change of use of the Goodwick Moor Car Park scheme was later submitted by the council but the authority’s own Pollution Control Team had initially recommended refusal on the grounds of “a history of complaints associated with this particular location where it has been utilised for overnight parking of heavy goods vehicles”.

Since then, the council has submitted further information in the form of an operational statement to support the application and to address previous concerns, with the control team now offering conditional support.

Fishguard and Goodwick Town Council has objected to the application, raising concerns of noise nuisance to residents and other users, a lack of provision of facilities for overnight motorhome/campervans, saying the proposal would have an adverse impact on existing businesses and residents, a loss of community amenity, a loss of evening car parking facility for existing community groups, and poor road surfacing.

An officer report ahead of the July 29 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, which recommends approval, says it would see no physical changes to the car park but would “allow for certain vehicles to stay for one single overnight stay,” and would “regulate the existing activities of overnight stays which already occur on the site”.

It adds: “Concern was raised that the car park has previously been used to aid overflow parking for the ferry port and the use for caravans/motorhomes may reduce its availability. However, after consulting with the council’s emergency planning unit, who confirmed that although the application site has been earmarked on a number of occasions since January 1, 2020 as a standby car park, the arrangements never occurred.”

The application is recommended for conditional approval for a temporary two-year period.