Resubmitted Application for Indoor Farmers’ Market near Tenby Expected to be Refused

A resubmitted application to create an indoor farmers’ market/traders barn on the site of a deer farm attraction near Tenby is expected to again be refused by county planners.
Mr and Mrs Evans of Great Wedlock, Gumfreston, are seeking a change of use of a former agricultural barn to the trading barn for up to 35 traders selling local produce and crafts, operating up to 61 days a year.
The plans – which will be considered at the October 3 meeting of the county council’s planning committee – also include an additional 30 parking bays on the site of a former silage clamp.
The site, opposite the Great Wedlock Leisure Park dinosaur park, already has planning permission for the change of use of a range of former agricultural barns to create a recently opened deer park attraction with educational and events use.
A previous application for the trading barn was refused by county planners on the basis it would represent an “unjustified use in a countryside location and contains insufficient information in respect of sustainable travel options”.
Another point of concern at that meeting was the lack of a detailed Retail Impact Assessment (RIA), Agent Atriarc Planning has said, which has been incorporated in the resubmitted application.
The resubmitted application says: “The RIA has identified that the proposed development would have no negative impact on the local retail provision and that the proposal would satisfy the RIA tests set out in various National and Local Planning policies.
“The proposed change of use seeks to create a new destination for independent traders, to sell local produce and crafts within the proposed farmers market/ market traders’ barn. The proposal is particularly focussed to local start-up companies (and those in their early infancy) who may not yet be at a scale to occupy a permanent retail premises within Pembrokeshire.
“The stall spaces will provide a range of unit sizes that could be occupied as individual or multiple units. The key driver of the project is to provide a market barn for the sale of high-quality local produce and bespoke goods made in west Wales.”
It is hoped the trading stalls in one part of the barn – if approved – would be open to the public February to December – one day per week Saturday or Sunday outside of school holidays and up to two days per week during the school holidays, from 10am-4pm.
A report for members ahead of the October 3 meeting again recommends refusal, on the basis the application, in a countryside location, would have the potential to have negative impacts upon the existing provision of local shops in nearby rural settlements. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​