Property group's second bid for 'supermarket' site (From Western Telegraph)

Property group's second bid for 'supermarket' site

A major property group has come forward with its second planning application for the controversial 'supermarket' site on the outskirts of Tenby.

Liberty Properties plc has already acquired options to buy land at the Twy Cross roundabout, New Hedges.

The area was earmarked in Pembrokeshire's Joint Unitary Development Plan as a suitable location for an out-of-town development, when it was strongly opposed.

Last July, the company - which has links to the main supermarket groups - put in plans for a business park, food store and park and ride facility.

This has never come up for consideration by county planners, and protestors believed it was being put on the back burner until the announcement of the JUDP plan inquiry result.

But last week, another application was received by Pembrokeshire County Council for a park and ride facility, 15,000 square metre business park, 4,200 square metre food store, a petrol filling station and associated car parking, landscaping and access.

During 2004, plans for a £7m Co-op superstore for Kilgetty, were scuppered by Pembrokeshire County Council on the grounds of 'prematurity' ahead of the inquiry inspector's findings.

And community group Tenby2020 - among objectors raising a £30,000 fighting fund to oppose the New Hedges plans at the inquiry - is adamant the authority has no alternative but to apply the same principle to the Liberty Group's application.

Said Tenby 2020's Mike Thorne: "We will be carefully watching the progress of this application, which must also be regarded as premature.

Pembrokeshire may not know the result of last year's inquiry into the Joint Unitary Development Plan until April 2006. An announcement could be made by October this year and Pembrokeshire County Council is pushing for this date.

The inquiry into the Joint Unitary Development Plan ran for most of 2004, eventually concluding on December 16th.