Bluestone developers have welcomed news that the £60m holiday village plan for Canaston Bridge will come before the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority for a decision next week.

Following a series of recent deferments, the developers are now looking forward to receiving a final determination on the proposals at a meeting at Withybush Showground Pavilion on Monday afternoon.

Said chief executive, William McNamara: "We are delighted that all of the last minute delays have finally been resolved and that we can now move forward to a decision.

"Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority have convened their own standards committee who have decided unanimously that 12 committee members are legally entitled to speak and vote at that meeting on Monday.

"This position was confirmed by National Park's own monitoring officer, Mr. Roderic Morgan, at that public meeting. We have since been assured that there will be no further unexpected surprises.

"We have always believed that this decision should be made in Pembrokeshire by people who know the county and its problems and have access to all the facts. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park committee members are the people who have been appointed to make decisions of this kind and their own monitoring officer has stated that he has every confidence in their ability and integrity to make a fair and balanced decision.

"All we ask is that each National Park member is now given his or her own chance to make up their mind free of external pressures and internal politics based on their own local knowledge of the issues."

STANDARDS COMMITTEE DISPENSATION

At a meeting of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority's standards committee on Monday, dispensation was granted to two county councillors to speak and vote at next week's extraordinary meeting of the development control committee at which the Bluestone application will be discussed.

County councillors Jane Major and Gordon Cawood - who are both members of the standards committee - attended and both declared an interest as county councillors. They also asked for dispensation to speak and vote at Monday's development control committee prior to withdrawing and taking no further part in proceedings.

The Park Authority's independent monitoring officer, Mr. Roderic Morgan, reported to the committee and, following a discussion, the members voted in favour of dispensation for the two applicants.

This was the only business of the standards committee, which was chaired by independent member ,Mr. Graham Warrilow, who sat with fellow independent member, Mr. Geoff Wright and authority member, Mrs. Jane Heard.

The extraordinary meeting of the authority's development control committee to discuss the Bluestone application will now take place on Monday. Venue will be The Pavilion, Withybush Showground, Haverfordwest (not the Queen's Hall, Narberth, as originally scheduled), with a 2 pm start.

OBJECTION WITHDRAWN

There was further good news for the developers on Wednesady when news was received that the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales had withdrawn its formal objection to the proposed development.

"This removes the final environmental objection on the bats issue, which was one of the original reasons for recommending refusal," said a Bluestone spokesperson. "It is therefore very significant in terms of the overall project."