National Park officers are recommending that a temporary public car park in Tenby be given the boot.

For some time now, members of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority have been in talks with agents acting for the sale of the former Ford garage in St. Florence Parade with regard to a possible future development of the site, but to date no formal application has been submitted.

The owners of the site have also discussed the possibility of gaining temporary consent for the use of the vacant site as a public car park until such time as a full development proposal has been put forward.

However, following a meeting with the highways officer, the owners were advised in informal discussions that it would be unlikely that an application for a car park would be supported, on the grounds that the use of a central town centre site should be maximised for a mixed development and on the grounds that national planning policy advises that authorities should seek to encourage appropriate redevelopment or reuse of private parking sites and should refuse planning permission for private or public car parks where these do not meet the strategic aims of the development plan.

Despite the advice given, though, the garage buildings and associated land have been opened as a public car park and a planning contravention notice has been served on the selling agents for the unauthorised use of buildings and land.

In view of the absence of any permission for the use and the likely objections to any application for the same, it is considered expedient to take the appropriate action to secure the cessation of the unauthorised use, said a spokesperson for the National Park, who are recommending to members of their development management committee that an enforcement notice is issued to the owners to cease unauthorised use of the site.

The matter is due to be discussed at a meeting of the committee next Wednesday.