A planning inspector has overturned a decision by Pembrokeshire County Council not to grant a certificate of lawfulness which sought to establish that planning permission for a residential development had been lawfully implemented.

The appeal by Mr. Mike Hughes, of Upper Nash Farm, Upper Nash, Cosheston, was upheld by planning inspector Janine Townsley.

Pembrokeshire County Council refused to grant the certificate of lawfulness in May 2017 because ‘it has not been demonstrated, on the balance of probability, that works sufficient to constitute the lawful implementation of planning permission 07/1641/PA were undertaken with the relevant lifetime of the permission.’

However, this was overturned by Janine Townsley as she believed ‘that works carried out were related to the provision of an access and as such, they constituted a lawful commencement of that development.’