Plans to redevelop and enhance a holiday park ‘synonymous’ with Tenby have been given the go ahead by members of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s planning committee.

The planning application for Kiln Park Holiday Centre, on the Marsh Road, came before members of the authority’s development management committee at their meeting on Wednesday in Pembroke Dock.

The holiday park falls partly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority’s boundary and partly within Pembrokeshire County Council’s boundary.

The development within PCNPA boundary proposes: relocation of 117 existing caravan bases; 58 additional bases for static caravans; reduction in touring and tent pitches; demolition of shop and launderette; additional 44 car parking spaces; upgrading of pedestrian access; works to and extension of existing attenuation pond; removal of crazy golf facility; relocation of play area and associated landscaping.

A previous consent tied the whole park to a maximum of 620 static caravan bases, which is being increased by this application to 678.

The applicants, Kiln Park Estates Ltd., have stated that the overriding principle for the development is to ‘continually improve the quality of visitor accommodation and facilities’.

Representing Bourne Leisure, who own Kiln Park, planning director Helen Ashby-Ridgway told the meeting: “The park will be reconfigured to provide an improved visitor experience alongside significant environmental benefits in the form of an improved layout, a less dense development form, additional and improved landscaping, parking and access improvements.”

She said that Kiln Park was ‘synonymous’ with the seaside resort of Tenby and that the management team at the holiday park were part of the community in Tenby.

Ms Ashby-Ridgway explained that the application also planned to enhance accessibility from the site to encourage travel to Tenby town centre.

She went on to explain that the application had been on hold whilst the applicants worked with PCNPA and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to fully address any concerns over flood risk, as the majority of the site is located within the defined flood zone of The Ritec watercourse.

The meeting heard that the area which was to be placed in the flood zone has since been removed from the application and those caravans redistributed within the existing confines of the site to respond to the objection, which has now been removed by NRW.

Responding to the application, PCNPA development management committee member, Clr. Michael Williams, who represents the Tenby North ward, said that he had ‘one or two’ concerns regarding the application.

“I do have serious concerns about flooding and where the water goes. I also have concerns about the reduction of the trees, as over the years the site will become more of an eyesore than what it once was,” he remarked, stating that it was ‘critically important’ for enforcement to be carried out to ensure that conditions in place regarding landscaping management are adhered to.

PCNPA planning officer Kate Attril said that NRW were happy that the caravans had been relocated to less of a flood risk area and that drainage of the site had been managed more actively over the last few years to alleviate flooding concerns.

She also said that the phasing schedule of the project would allow enforcement officers to know as and when landscaping work is carried out and that the tree and landscape officers had been consulted.

“We have addressed any concerns over the visibility and landscaping areas the best we can, and we have received no objections from any members of the public living nearby since the plans were made public,” commented Ms Attril.

Members of the development management committee voted in favour of approving the application.