Chimney removal approved at Pembrokeshire pub conversion

A relative of a serving county councillor, who was faced with the prospect of being potentially ordered to replace chimneys removed from his Pembrokeshire village pub conversion after safety advice, will now not have to do that.

In an application recommended for partial approval at the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, Craig Kidney sought permission for the removal of chimney stacks and construction of a front porch and retaining garden wall at the former Carpenters Arms pub, Cosheston.

The application was for committee consideration as it has been made by or on behalf of a close family member of a member of the council.

The application was subject to a split recommendation of approval for the porch and retaining wall, but refusal for the retrospective removal of the two chimney stacks at the July committee meeting on the basis “the removal of the chimney stacks has had a harmful impact on the character and appearance of this part of the Cosheston Conservation Area, creating harm to visual amenity and the historic environment”.

No objections had been received from Cosheston Community Council, but two letters of objection raised concerns including the impact of proposal on historic character and Conservation Area, and the changes being unauthorised.

At that meeting, members backed the first part recommendation of approval, but voted in a ‘minded to’ approval against the officer recommendation of refusal for the chimneys part, the application returning to the September meeting for a final decision on that part, which was again recommended for refusal by officers.

At that meeting, applicant Craig Kidney again told members he accepted he should have applied for permission to remove the chimneys but had been advised they would be okay to remove them for safety reasons by officers from the council’s building control department.

While this led to concern from committee members about the building control and planning departments apparently not communicating with each other, they were told by officers the different departments’ regulations were subject to completely different pieces of legislation, advice from one not necessarily taken precedence over the other.

Cllr Alec Cormack, who moved the recommendation of refusal for the chimneys aspect, said: “This committee seems ready to go against officers with alarming frequency, far more than any other committee,” adding: “Or are we conservation area deniers?”

He said applications like the Carpenters Arms would normally be dealt with by officers under delegated powers, the reasons for the application before the committee potentially creating doubt in the public’s eye, with the potential for a public perception of the “brown envelopes myth” of untoward decisions.

After concerns were raised about his comments from fellow members, he stressed: “My point was not that anyone is doing anything inappropriate, it’s it might be interpreted as such by members of the public.”

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

The recommendation of refusal of the chimney part was defeated by seven votes to six, with one abstention, a later proposal for Cllr Jon Cole for outright approval passing by seven votes to six, again with one abstention; the application effectively authorising the demolition of the chimneys.