Holiday Yacht In Garden Refused By Planners

Plans for a holiday accommodation yacht in a Milford Haven garden have been turned down by Pembrokeshire County Council.

In an application to county planners, Phil Howe, through agent Hughes Architectural, sought permission to site the Sea Ray 290 yacht in the garden of The Cellar, Cellar Hill, near the foreshore to Castle Pill.

An officer report, recommending refusal, said: “The application seeks planning permission for the installation of a Sea Ray 290 yacht to be permanently mounted within the side garden, to provide holiday accommodation.  Foundations would be constructed, and bracing pillars provided to support the yacht.  The yacht would comprise two bedrooms, gallery, and toilet/shower on the lower deck with steps to the upper deck.”

It adds: “The proposed yacht would be small and simple in scale.  The site is clearly visible, however, during the planning site visit it was observed that the foreshore and coastline of Castle Pill contains a mixture of boats of different shapes and sizes which are anchored or stored there.

Given the context of the site and its location, it is considered that the proposal would be viewed within the context of the built form and the nature of the waterway and would therefore have a limited visual impact.”

However, it says that, while the proposal would provide economic benefits through additional tourism facilities, it would lead to a “loss of green infrastructure as a result of the development,” with officers saying proposed ecological mitigations are insufficient.

The report also says there are insufficient parking spaces available for the proposal, and it “fails to demonstrate that acceptable foul drainage has been provided”.

The application was refused on grounds including foul waste disposal concerns, the site being in a flood zone without a Flood Consequences Assessment, insufficient parking provision, and the scheme “fails to demonstrate how green infrastructure has been incorporated into the design of the proposed development,” adding: “Furthermore, the application proposes the loss of green infrastructure as a result of the development and the proposed ecological mitigations are not considered to be sufficient for the scale of the development proposed.”