A call to allow a Pembrokeshire house to be used as a children’s home, which raised fears from local objectors the scheme was being ‘rubber stamped’ by the council, has been refused.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Cardiff-based Ty Caredig Ltd sought permission for a Certificate of Lawfulness for Bryn Delyn, Y Fraich, Fishguard and the basis the use was not materially different from the property’s existing lawful use.

Residents accused the council of “pushing through a highly controversial children’s home application behind closed doors,” in what they described as “an irrational, unlawful and deeply secretive process designed to avoid public consultation, scrutiny and accountability”.

A community spokesperson said of the proposal, accessed from a narrow track: “Placing vulnerable children in such an unsafe, isolated location while avoiding public consultation is indefensible. This is a scandal of the council’s own making.”

The residents warned that “forcing this through without transparency risks not only community trust, but the wellbeing of the very children the council claims to protect,” demanding an immediate halt and a full independent investigation.

A supporting statement for the scheme, with many redacted parts, said the four-bed property had a lawful use as a dwelling house; the proposed use as a care home not requiring planning permission through a change of use.

The statement also included case law of similar uses of a house to provide residential care for children.

An officer report recommending refusal said: “In regard to how the proposed use would operate, the supporting information refers to the staff being on a shift rotation every 48 hours, not permanently living at the property, with a manager present at varying times.”

It said that “case law would suggest that the break in shift pattern and new staff arriving as proposed by this application would create a break in the single household with a new household being created each time a shift pattern changed,” the proposed use not being able to be considered as a single dwelling.

It also said, at the time of the report, the site was “subject to an open enforcement investigation due to recent activity at the site”.

“Following a recent site inspection, it would appear the existing hardstanding area has been extended towards the north within the site, indicating that the existing parking area may not be sufficient, which appears to conflict with the supporting information provided.

“This may also indicate that the use has the potential for greater levels of visitors and in turn traffic movements to and from the site, in a rural location. The recent removal of a large amount vegetation to facilitate the proposed use has an impact on the visual appearance of the site and therefore alters the immediate rural character of the area.

“As such, the recent site clearance would indicate that the dwelling does not currently have adequate parking space therefore requiring external alterations to the garden/amenity areas of the site contrary to what has been suggested in the submitted supporting information.”

It also said the use of the dwelling as a care home “would represent a material change of use requiring the benefit of planning permission”.

As a result, the certificate of proposed lawful use was not granted.

Pembrokeshire County Council has been contacted for a response to the claims made by the objectors.