Stepaside and Pleasant Valley Residents’ Group has written to Pembrokeshire County Council’s property department demanding that they drop their threat to sell off a public car park without a robust consultation.

The SPVRG was formed last year by local residents to oppose the expansion of the Heritage Park in Pleasant Valley, Stepaside, and with well over 100 members, has raised awareness locally of the issue and their campaigning added to the general level of resistance to the expansion plans which forced a major planning application to be ?withdrawn? in March.

On the latest issue concerning the car park, the chair of the SPVRG Mr. Ben Morris said: “It is totally unacceptable that the PCC property department believe they can do a behind-the-scenes deal to sell off this vital community asset without the knowledge or agreement of the public.

“SPVRG are determined to stop this plan and will do whatever is necessary to protect this vital community asset for future generations.”

In 2007 Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) leased the Heritage Park, Pleasant Valley, Stepaside to a caravan park operator for a period of 999 years, with the lease including a covenant that one specific area is to be a permanent, free, public car park.

“The caravan park owner has for the last two or three years taken various measures to block the car park, resulting in cars being parked over the verges outside the car park, causing dangerous blockages of the road,” continued Mr. Morris.

“The residents have repeatedly complained to the council, but so far the car park remains blocked. Recently even more aggregate and soil have been dumped over the car park, and a planning application has been made that would ultimately result in static caravans on the land and the loss of the car park.”

The SPVRG consist of local residents who are resisting the further expansion of the caravan park for various reasons, including to retain the public access to the heritage buildings and natural areas, for which this car park is vital.

“We decided to intervene to try to get the Council to enforce and protect the covenant, so that we keep this much-needed community resource,” said Mr. Morris.

“At a skype meeting with the PCC property department on April 30, their chief property officer, Ms Helen Mcleod-Baikie informed SPVRG that her department had been in discussions with the caravan park owners to sell the covenant, thereby allowing static caravans to be placed on the land instead.

“She also told SPVRG that she saw no reason to consult the public before selling the covenant, despite the public being the clear beneficiaries.

“SPVRG want to save the car park, and our letter to PCC strongly disputes their right to sell it off!

“We know that once the Covid-19 lockdown is relaxed, many local residents and holiday makers from South Pembrokeshire as well as further afield will want to use this free car park as a safe base to explore the historic iron works, but also the many safe footpaths and cycleways to the coast at Wiseman’s Bridge or inland to Kilgetty and beyond,” he remarked.

Mr. Morris has urged others to join the group in writing to the PCC property department, expressing support for the SPVRG demand that PCC must not agree to a variation or removal of the public car park covenant at the Heritage Park until a robust public consultation process has been defined and carried out under full scrutiny of the public and county councillors.

“PCC may get a few thousand pounds by selling the covenant, but as a community we lose public access to a vital asset for generations to come, so please help SPVRG keep Pleasant Valley pleasant!” he added.