3:17pm Monday 17th November 2008
By Ruth Davies
Enforcement action to tidy up the 'eyesore' Royal Gatehouse Hotel demolition site is being called for by National Park chiefs.
The sea front building was the scene of the devastating Easter weekend fire and is now almost completely reduced to rubble after being demolished for safety reasons.
With no moves being made by the owner to shift the debris, a notice could now be served to order the site to be cleared and satisfactorily screened.
If this is not complied with, then Pembrokeshire County Council would have the power to carry out the work and reclaim the cost from the owner, Graham Fry.
Next Wednesday's meeting of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority development management committee is being recommended to serve a Section 215 notice on all the interested parties which would empower the work to be done.
Said development management officer Cathy Milner, in her report to the committee: "There is a considerable pile of rubble on the site, which is only partially screened by metal panel fencing, which has deteriorated as a result of storms etc over the summer."
Planning permission was granted in September for the demolition of the remainder of the building,which would enable the rubble to be removed through a rear access to the site. But the site continues to remain 'an eyesore', said Mrs Milner, as no details had been received from Mr Fry relating to conditions laid down over site screening and rubble removal.
Mr Fry is also attempting to gain planning permission for removal of the rubble to his land on the outskirts of Penally for crushing and re-sale as aggregate. However, one application has been turned down by county planners, with another still in the pipeline.
Commented Mrs Milner: "That should not influence members' view of the matter, as there are other destinations for the material which ought to be actively explored by the owner."
She described the current state of the site as 'injurious to the amenity of the area' and there was 'no degree of comfort' that it would be cleared soon, despite discussions with prospective developers.
Meanwhile, Tenby Town Council is asking townspeople to put forward comments on what they would like to see developed on the Gatehouse site.
Said Councillor Mrs Julie Evans: "We don't want to face another summer looking at a pile of rubble."
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