Latest news with #NarberthTownCouncil
Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Town nursery could shut if housing plan goes ahead
Town nursery could shut if housing plan goes ahead The application was recommended for approval at the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council's planning committee, but no decision could be made at that time St James Street in Narberth (Image: Google ) A decision regarding a housing project in Pembrokeshire, which sparked concerns that a local nursery could be forced to shut due to increased traffic, has been postponed as planners await updated guidance on potential water quality impact. Sarah Voaden's application to construct three houses at Llwynon, 61 St James Street, Narberth, within the town's conservation area, was recommended for approval at the July meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council's planning committee. The decision had been deferred from the June meeting pending a site visit. The proposal includes a financial contribution of £38,156.25 towards affordable housing. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . The proposed site, situated just outside the town centre, can be accessed via a private lane off Tabernacle Lane, approximately 20m south-east of the Tabernacle Lane/St James Street junction. Narberth Town Council has lodged objections to the scheme citing reasons such as inadequate access and highway safety, capacity to handle additional foul waste, the development being out of character, and overdevelopment. 16 members of the public have also voiced their concerns, including issues related to parking and access, and the lane's suitability to handle the traffic associated with the additional residential properties. However, no concerns were raised by the highways department. Article continues below At the June meeting, Andrew Vaughan-Harries, an agent from Hayston Planning and Development Ltd, portrayed the "vibrant" application as a "win-win-win". He argued that it would utilise derelict land, enhance the area, and included the applicant's offer to resurface a narrow lane. Additionally, there was a proposed contribution of around £38,000 towards affordable housing in this lively town. However, objections were raised at the same meeting by Hayley Bowlett of Noah's Ark Child Care, which employs 24 staff and has 154 children enrolled. She expressed concerns about the existing traffic issues on the narrow lane leading to the nursery, which she feared would be exacerbated by construction traffic if the scheme was approved. She warned that this could result in the nursery breaching legal operating standards, potentially forcing it to shut down. "We'd leave 20 people without employment and 150 children with nowhere to go," she informed members, adding: "Health and safety is the biggest concern for our children; children are walking up and down on a daily basis and would be at risk of any construction traffic." The proposal was brought back to the July meeting, once again recommended for approval. However, committee members were informed that no decision could be made at that meeting, and the item was subsequently removed. The committee was informed that the recent dip in water quality within the Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire Bay Marine Special Area of Conservation prompted this reaction, which has a direct impact on various projects falling under the local planning body's oversight. Members learned that, based on preliminary advice regarding the situation, the regional planning authority is currently lacking adequate or detailed data to conduct or revise the required habitats regulations assessment [referring to the matter at hand] to ensure the proposed developments would not negatively affect the environment. The committee understood that the planning officials were still processing the new information and the provisional recommendations from Natural Resources Wales, acknowledging that it could be "potentially unsound" to proceed with any resolutions until all necessary details were at hand. The case will be revisited in an upcoming meeting. Article continues below
Telegraph
08-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Goats deployed to clear overgrown graveyards
An overgrown Welsh churchyard has employed an eco-friendly method to clear gravestones – a herd of hungry goats. The goats are loaned from a nearby business to chew their way through brambles, weeds, and excess foliage at the 13th century church. The animals have been hired by Narberth town council in Pembrokeshire to work at St Andrew's Church and are monitored by GPS so they do not wander off. The council said the goats can provide a natural and chemical-free way of clearing areas and are trialling the method over the next two to three weeks. Locals have been asked not to approach the goats at work, supervise children nearby and keep dogs on leads. A spokesman for the council said: 'Narberth town council is continuing its work to enhance the grounds of St Andrew's Church as part of our ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement programme. 'These goats will help clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site, enabling us to implement a longer-term ground management plan.' Clynderwen-based company Biogoats 2 Rent also hire the goats out privately to businesses, the national park authority and other churches. A spokesman for the company said: 'Bio Goats is an eco-friendly weed and brush control company. We hire goats out to the private, business, and agricultural sectors. 'Conservation grazing is the eco-friendly way of dealing with invasive weed, brush and knotweed. 'Goats are browsers first so leaves and a good old bramble bush, would be their first go-to, also once seeds have passed through a goat, they are generally non-viable. ' Goats are also generally very friendly and sociable animals so you might also make yourself a friend or two.' Richard White, who runs the business, said the goats are monitored by GPS rather than using collars in a process recently shown on Clarkson's Farm, the Amazon Prime Video series. Mr White said: 'I think he stole the idea from us. We're the only company in the UK to do this. We get inquiries from all over the UK, but the travel costs can make it unviable for customers from further away. 'We enjoy what we do and meet some nice people along the way.'
Western Telegraph
05-06-2025
- General
- Western Telegraph
St Andrew's Church, Narberth, taken over by herd of goats
Visitors to St Andrew's Church in Narberth may have noticed the creatures roaming around in recent days. A spokesperson for Narberth Town Council said: 'Narberth Town Council is continuing its work to enhance the grounds of St Andrew's Church as part of our ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement programme. 'To support this, we are trialling a natural and chemical-free method of managing overgrown areas by introducing Bio Goats – an eco-friendly solution for controlling brambles and invasive vegetation. These goats will help clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site, enabling us to implement a longer-term ground management plan. 'The goats are GPS ringfenced to remain within a designated area, and daily welfare checks will be carried out to ensure they are healthy, safe, and well cared for throughout their time on site. 'We kindly ask all visitors to support this initiative by: Avoiding the goat-grazing area while they are at work Keeping dogs on a lead at all times in the vicinity Ensuring children are supervised and kept a safe distance away 'We understand that children may be curious and wish to see the goats. However, we respectfully ask that this is discouraged, as human interaction may disturb the animals and interfere with their natural grazing behaviour.' The rummaging ruminants themselves come from Clynderwen-based Biogoats 2 Rent, run by Richard and Dawn for the past six seasons, who said the goats were already on-site at St Andrew's, and are expected to remain there for two to three weeks. Goats from Biogoats 2 Rent, believed to be the only business of its type in the UK, have already been used to provide an eco-friendly service for Pembrokeshire County Council, the national park, and for other local churches. 'They're most recognised down at Canaston Bridge,' said Dawn, explaining they were used as a eco-friendly way of clearing natural set aside areas on the Robeston Wathen bypass, and had also been used at Tenby's St Mary's church, with plans to return there later this summer. Rather than using collars, the goats are kept in their designated areas using GPS satellite technology, a process recently shown on Clarkson's Farm, TV star Jeremy Clarkson's farming programme. 'I think he stole the idea from us,' joked Richard, adding: 'We're the only company in the UK to do this; we get enquiries from all over the UK, but the travel costs can make it unviable for the customers from further away.' They finished: 'We enjoy what we do and meet some nice people along the way.'
ITV News
05-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Herd of goats brought in to replace lawnmowers in Pembrokeshire town
A town in Pembrokeshire is trialling a novel, eco-friendly way of managing overgrown areas by employing the help of some furry friends. Narberth Town Council is swapping its lawnmowers for a herd of goats, who have been let loose on a local churchyard. The hope is that they will nibble away at brambles and invasive vegetation in the grounds of St Andrew's Church to keep the areas around gravestones clear and the yard in good shape. The herd of fifteen Boer and Nubian goats came from local company Biogoats 2 Rent, which is run by Richard White and Dawn Hart in Clynderwen. The company uses GPS technology to make sure the goats don't stray away. Narberth Town Council said the work is part of its ongoing "biodiversity and environmental improvement programme," and that the herd will have daily welfare checks to make sure they are all healthy and and locals have been asked to avoid the goat-grazing area while they are at work, to supervise children around the area and to keep dogs on a lead.
Wales Online
05-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
GPS-controlled goats put to work in Welsh town as children warned to stay away
GPS-controlled goats put to work in Welsh town as children warned to stay away Narberth Town Council is using the goats to carry out an important task, and has asked visitors to stay away from the animals while they work Narberth Town council is using 'Bio-Goats' to keep a local churchyard clear (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service ) A Welsh town council has decided to try out a new environmentally friendly approach to managing overgrown areas - by putting goats in a local churchyard. Narberth Town Council stated that the goats, from nearby Clynderwen, would represent a "chemical-free method of managing overgrown areas", but added that children should stay away from the animals. The council stated: "Narberth Town Council is continuing its work to enhance the grounds of St Andrew's Church as part of our ongoing biodiversity and environmental improvement programme. "To support this, we are trialling a natural and chemical-free method of managing overgrown areas by introducing Bio Goats – an eco-friendly solution for controlling brambles and invasive vegetation." For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . The council continued: "These goats will help clear excess growth around gravestones and across the site, enabling us to implement a longer-term ground management plan. "The goats are GPS ringfenced to remain within a designated area, and daily welfare checks will be carried out to ensure they are healthy, safe, and well cared for throughout their time on site. Article continues below "We kindly ask all visitors to support this initiative by avoiding the goat-grazing area while they are at work, keeping dogs on a lead at all times in the vicinity, and ensuring children are supervised and kept a safe distance away. "We understand that children may be curious and wish to see the goats. However, we respectfully ask that this is discouraged, as human interaction may disturb the animals and interfere with their natural grazing behaviour." The goats, from Clynderwen-based Biogoats 2 Rent, managed by Richard and Dawn for the past six seasons, are already at work at St Andrew's and are set to stay there for two to three weeks. Biogoats 2 Rent, which is believed to be the only enterprise of its kind in the UK, has provided an environmentally friendly service to Pembrokeshire Council, the national park, and various local churches. "They're most recognised down at Canaston Bridge," Dawn shared, noting that the goats had been used as an eco-friendly method for clearing natural set aside areas on the Robeston Wathen bypass and had also worked at Tenby's St Mary's church, with a return visit planned for later this summer. Instead of traditional collars, the goats are managed using GPS satellite technology, a technique recently featured on Clarkson's Farm, the agricultural show hosted by TV personality Jeremy Clarkson. Article continues below "I think he stole the idea from us," Richard quipped, mentioning: "We're the only company in the UK to do this; we get enquiries from all over the UK, but the travel costs can make it unviable for the customers from further away." They concluded: "We enjoy what we do and meet some nice people along the way."
