Holiday Cottage Wedding Venue

A call to allow a south Pembrokeshire holiday cottage to be used as a wedding venue has been made by the people whose call to keep a nearby wedding venue tipi was turned down earlier this year.

Mr R Lloyd and Ms C Davies, in an application submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council through agent Evans Banks Planning Limited, seek permission for the retention of Hazel Cottage, Redberth Gardens, near Tenby, as holiday accommodation with the occasional use as a wedding ceremony venue, for up to 25 days a year.

A supporting document with the application, through the agent, says Hazel Cottage is one of 11 holiday cottages at Redberth Gardens, which also lies immediately adjacent to a further nine units of holiday accommodation.

It adds: “The current proposal seeks to allow the holiday accommodation to continue but provide for civil wedding ceremonies to be conducted within the ground floor lounge area. The rear kitchen and first floor bedrooms and bathroom would remain unchanged. A total of up to 25 days in any year are sought, which would be licenced under Local Authority supervision. For the remaining 340 days of the year, the cottage would remain in residential use.”

It concludes: “The modest space will accordingly not introduce an occasional use which will have any noticeable effects upon the functioning of the remainder of the holiday park. Wedding ceremonies will take place during the daytime, when most guests would be probably out of the accommodation visiting local attractions in Pembrokeshire.”

The application will be considered by planners at a later date.

Back in April, county planners turned down a retrospective call by the applicants to keep a wedding venue tipi where guests were greeted by alpacas on adjoining land.

Members of the April meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee refused the ‘Serenity Garden’ tipi venue, erected in August 2023.

Serenity Garden, on its website, said the tipi offers a “very special wedding venue, set in the heart of the Pembrokeshire countryside,” with “friendly resident alpacas, teddy bear sheep, goats, ducks and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs” greeting guests.

A planning statement supporting that application said it was anticipated that there would be approximately 15 wedding events during the season.

Concerns about the application had been raised by nearby St Florence Community Council, along with seven objections from the public.

Speaking at the April meeting, Agent Richard Banks said the applicants were “guilty of being confused by permitted development rights” of 14 days, the intent to have 14 weddings, the application correcting that misinterpretation.