Planners approve housing despite contamination fears

Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee voted in favour of approving the application from Pembrokeshire Housing Association to build 17 houses and 20 flats on land in Milford Haven, according to the Western Telegraph.

The site was previously owned by Consolidated Beryllium, now CBL Ceramics, and before that was owned by the Ministry of Defence.

Local businesses, residents and the local MP Stephen Crabb have all raised concerns about the development (see related story).

The council’s head of public protection had told the developers to carry out a site investigation and risk assessment to determine the amount of contamination on the site and whether it posed any risk to human health.

But following the study, council officers said it will be safe to build on the site provided the developers carry out “suggested mitigation measures” and continue to monitor the site for possible contamination.

The Environment Agency has also not raised any objections to the development.

At a public hearing on Tuesday, the committee approved the application for the 37 homes, including new access roads, with just one councillor voting against the plans.

According to the Telegraph, the council’s senior environmental health officer Sarah Johns told the meeting that the necessary checks had been carried out to ensure there was no risk from the site.

She said the council’s Public Protection department was “happy from a human health perspective” to allow the development to go ahead.

Kate Martin