The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority (PCNPA) has allowed an outdoor lodge in Saundersfoot to continue operating as an Airbnb, despite having no planning permission.

Luke and Debra Smith, through agent RPC Design & Architecture Ltd, applied for permission to keep using an outbuilding at Hendre, St Brides Hill, Saundersfoot, as a short-term holiday let.

A certificate of lawfulness proves that a development or use has continued long enough to escape planning enforcement action.

A supporting statement said the outbuilding had been used continuously as a holiday let since 2014.

The application included a 2010 Zoopla listing for the lodge and an Airbnb advert that said: “Five minutes’ walk to Saundersfoot village with its bustling working harbour, shops, restaurants. Just 200m to beautiful beach and direct access to the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. Private garden, off road parking.”

“The accommodation itself is suitable all year round with double-glazing and central heating. Decked out with finds from local antique shops, Caban bach has a laid-back feel and we are sure you will find it very comfortable.”

It added: “The origins of the Caban are unknown, but it is thought to have been in the grounds of Hendre since at least the 1970s. It is ‘vintage’ with the quirks and character that comes with age.”

Saundersfoot
St Brides Hill sits above Saundersfoot harbour (Gareth Davies Photography)

A PCNPA officer report recommending the certificate be granted said the applicants supported the claim holiday use started back in 2014 with “a range of documentary evidence, including historic property marketing information, historical aerial imagery, an Airbnb listing, guest reviews, annual Airbnb earnings statements and photographic evidence of the existing building”.

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National Park planners granted the certificate after concluding that the evidence showed, on the balance of probabilities, the building had been used as a C6 short-term holiday let for at least 10 years.