Assembly declines to rule on Bluestone (From Western Telegraph)

Assembly declines to rule on Bluestone

The future of the Bluestone Project is to remain in the hands of National Park planners. The Welsh Assembly Government has chosen not to call in the planning application. Now, with Pembrokeshire County Council already having given outline permission for the part of the Bluestone project which lies within its jurisdiction, the Park Authority must decide on the remainder.

The developers of the Bluestone project pledge that the holiday village, Waterworld and Snow Dome would bring 600 permanent jobs to the county. It would also have a spin-off for other tourist attractions.

Bluestone chief executive, William McNamara, was delighted with the Assembly's decision.

"It has always been my belief that the project should be decided in Pembrokeshire on behalf of the people of Pembrokeshire," he said.

"The county council has already done so and very decisively. We now look to the National Park to do the same and soon."

But the Assembly's move has been criticised by a group of top organisations led by the Council for National Parks (CPN).

CPN's senior policy officer, Sylvia Davies, said: "Our national parks are the jewels in the crown of the countryside. The scale of the Bluestone proposal, including the building of a completely new village with 400 lodges and cottages, is unprecedented for an area of nationally important landscape. CPN cannot understand why the planning minister Carwyn Jones is not taking a greater interest in it. He should call the application to the Assembly. Then he should ensure a public inquiry is held to allow transparent discussion of such a complex and important application."

A Pembrokeshire National Park spokesman said: "We can understand the CNP's concern about call-in. But the authority is continuing to assess the application and will refer it to its development control committee for a decision as soon as outstanding material has been received and consultation replies considered."

Said local AM Christine Gwyther: "The Minister will have been advised by planning officers at the highest level and if he were in any doubt as to the effectiveness of the local planning authorities to handle a decision of this size then he would have called it in. From the start, when speaking to Pembrokeshire County Council and the National Park Authority, they felt that as this was a decision that effects Pembrokeshire, then it should be made in Pembrokeshire. It is important to stick to that principle whenever we can."