Another UK lorry park plan torpedoed after council reject appeal

Yet another construction plan for a lorry park in the UK has been shot down by a local council. Certas Energy UK's application for a site near Pembroke Dock has been rejected again following an appeal, Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee revealed last week.

Planned by Certas Energy UK, the Pembrokeshire Dock HGV park would have had space for 17 HGV oil tankers and 18 car parking spaces, as well as a staff welfare building on the Criterion Way.

The plans hit the headlines back in autumn 2021, when a Labour councillor said the following according to the Western Telegraph:

“Anyone who thinks putting a smelly, potentially dangerous, lorry park there will be of any benefit to Pembroke Dock is living in cloud cuckoo land.”

Councillor Wilcox’s outburst provoked a furious reaction from Duncan Buchanan, RHA Policy Director at that time, who said the comments were “ill-informed” and “inflammatory”.

The plans were rejected by councillors, only for Certas Energy to appeal.

However, following a bizarre delay of over 4 months since the decision was actually made, it is now known that the appeal had been rejected.

Councillor Jacob Williams, chairman of the planning committee, announced on July 25th that the appeal had been rejected by the council in March but that the notification from Planning and Environment Decisions Wales had only been issued a few weeks ago.

The planning committee chairman added that the appeal was rejected on the basis the lorry park would have an adverse effect on the “character and appearance” of the Pembroke Dock conservation area.

Moreover, the planning application was rejected by the inspector on the basis that it “did not make suitable provisions for foul water drainage”.