A £200,000 conversion of a former public house, on which officers wanted to see removed chimneys reinstalled, has been given the thumbs-up without the chimneys, but planners will have to revisit their decision at a future meeting.

In an application recommended for partial approval at the July meeting of Pembrokeshire Council’s planning committee, Craig Kidney sought permission for the removal of chimney stacks and construction of 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.

It was previously due to be considered by committee in April and June, being withdrawn from both meetings, and had been subject to a split recommendation of approval for the porch and retaining wall, but refusal for the retrospective removal of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 June 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 the June meeting a decision was deferred in order for a site visit to take place.

Speaking at the June meeting, agent Andrew Vaughan-Harries of Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd said the applicants were a teacher and plumber who had spent some £200,000 renovating the “run-down property,” the chimneys demolished after advice they were unsafe.

At the July meeting, applicant Craig Kidney told members he accepted he should have applied for permission to remove the chimneys but had been advised they would be okay to remove for safety reasons.

An initial call for the application to be approved as a whole was made by Cllr John Cole at the meeting but later withdrawn, Cllr Alec Cormack proposing the officer recommendations; members hearing there was the potential of a ‘false chimney’ being installed.

In a series of votes the part approval/part refusal recommendation fell, with three votes for and eight against; the individual items taken, the porch/wall part passing unanimously but the chimney refusal part failing by six votes to four, with two abstentions.

That led to Cllr Nick Neumann proposing approval of the chimney part of the scheme, which Cllr Simon Hancok accused of “driving a coach and horse through the officers’ recommendation,” Cllr Cole proposing the removal would have “an environmental benefit” as there would be less smoke without a chimney.

A vote for the approval of the chimneys was later taken, passing by seven votes to three, with two abstentions.

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The approval, against officer recommendations, took the form of a ‘minded to’ approval, meaning the scheme will have to be revisited at a future planning meeting and either supported or refused on that date.