Buildings Erected Without Permission at Communal Food Growers’ Charity Site Allowed to Stay

Buildings erected without permission at a site used by communal food growers’ charity, which supports a local food bank, have been allowed to stay.
Registered charity ACTS West Wales had applied to Pembrokeshire County Council for partly retrospective permission to keep a building used for the sorting and packaging of the produce grown and a communal shelter at Cilrath Fach Farm, Redstone Cross, near Narberth.
No objection to the application, which also includes a proposed compost WC, was raised by Narberth Town Council.
A planning statement in support of the application by agent JCR Planning Ltd said: “Cilrath Fach Farm is host to an area of agricultural land that has been made available for local people to grow food on a communal basis – and operates under the communal brand title ‘Cilrath Acre’.
“Volunteers attend ‘Cilrath Acre’ on an intermittent but regular basis and attend to the growing of vegetables, fruit, etc. The harvested produce is made available to both the local food bank and the volunteers themselves.
“The proposed development is of minor scale and will not adversely affect the overall character or viability of the farmstead, being readily absorbed into the surrounding landscape, without harming any local social, economic or environmental characteristics.”
It added: “The Cilrath Acre community food growing project provides opportunities for local people to come together, to eat healthily, and to stimulate awareness of growing, harvesting, processing, distributing, or serving local food. A fundamental purpose is to make a valuable contribution to the local food bank.
“Cilrath Acre is effectively a ‘Community Interest Company’ that is a community resource for the people of Narberth and its environs. The aim is to develop and enhance the community’s horticultural skills and knowledge and to showcase all aspects of the sustainable food cycle – planting, nurturing and harvesting.”
In approving the application under delegated powers, planners said “regard has been given to the requirements of sections 3 and 5 of the Well Being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. It is considered that this recommendation is in accordance with the Act’s sustainable development principle through its contribution towards the Welsh Ministers’ well-being objective of supporting safe, cohesive and resilient communities”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​