Local development plans: Pembrokeshire

The overall plan

• The plan's vision is for Pembrokeshire to stay prosperous, vibrant and special. It aims to do this by building a network of strong urban and rural communities in Hub Towns, Service Centres, Service and Local Villages. Page 37
• The plan identifies land for 5700 new homes across the area over the plan period. Page 44
• The plan expects 60% of new homes to be built in urban areas and 40% in rural areas. Page 47
• The plan aims for a balanced spread of new development between towns and the countryside. In rural areas, growth is directed to settlements that already have a good level of services. Page 47

Homes

• The plan sets a target of at least 980 new affordable homes. Policy SP 8, page 57
• On sites not allocated in the plan, the plan requires 10% of homes to be affordable in towns, service centres and service villages. Policy GN.28, page 116

Jobs and the economy

• The plan provides 173 hectares of land for businesses and industry, spread across strategic and local sites. The strategic sites are at Blackbridge, the Pembrokeshire Science and Technology Park, Withybush and Trecwn. Policy SP 3, page 51
• The plan protects existing business, industrial, storage and distribution sites and buildings. They can only be changed to other uses if the present use is unsuitable for the area, there is adequate alternative employment land nearby, or the current use has been shown to be unviable. Policy GN.8, page 90
• The plan aims to support tourism by allowing appropriate new tourism development and the upgrading of existing facilities, through a case-by-case policy test. Its objectives include a range of holiday accommodation and attractions for different visitors. Page 44
• The plan supports new employment, shops and community facilities in rural areas to help existing rural communities. It also encourages employment premises in rural settlements so that more people can work closer to home. Page 70

Town centres and shops

• The plan says new shops, offices, leisure and other town-centre uses should be directed to the town centres shown on its maps, because these areas already have many of these uses and good transport links. Policy GN.12, page 95
• The plan says that in the main shopping streets of town centres, no more than 30% of the frontage should be used for something other than shops, so that shops stay the main use and the centres stay lively. Policy GN.12, page 95
• The plan says that large shop developments proposed outside the defined town centre boundaries will only be allowed if they would not undermine the retail hierarchy or harm the vitality and viability of the town and local centres. Policy GN.14, page 97
• The plan says small shops, or extensions to them, can be allowed where the site is inside a Settlement Boundary, the line drawn around a town or village, and the shop would not harm the vitality and viability of any town or local centre. Policy GN.15, page 98

Countryside, nature and heritage

• The plan says that Pembrokeshire's natural and built environment will be protected from inappropriate development and, where possible, enhanced. Policy 6.4, page 76
• The plan says that development proposals must show they respect the natural environment, landscape character, native species, soils, and ground and surface waters. Policy 6.4, page 76
• The plan says development that would disturb or harm protected species or their habitats will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances, and only where the effects are minimised or mitigated. Policy GN.37, page 126
• The plan says development that would harm listed buildings, scheduled monuments, conservation areas and similar heritage assets is not allowed in principle, and that development affecting the historic environment must protect and enhance it. Policy 6.154, page 128

Climate, energy and flooding

• The plan says designs must respond to the likely effects of climate change, such as rising temperatures. Page 81
• The plan says developments that help supply renewable energy through environmentally acceptable solutions will be supported. Policy GN.4, page 84
• The plan says the landscape impact of renewable energy proposals, alone and combined with other schemes, is a material consideration, meaning it must be weighed when deciding applications. Page 85
• The plan says new development must meet recognised national sustainable building standards, such as the Code for Sustainable Homes or BREEAM. Page 80

Transport

• The plan says that all new development should be highly accessible, and that walking and cycling have an important role, particularly within settlements, to reduce the number of short trips taken by car. Page 77
• The plan says that developers must fund road or transport improvements needed to make their proposals acceptable, and that development must be of a scale the adjacent road network can serve. Page 77

The Welsh language

• The plan says development will be managed sensitively in areas where Welsh has a significant role in the local community. This may include phasing, signage or other appropriate mitigation measures. Policy SP 9, page 59
• The policy applies to development proposals in all community council areas defined as 'language sensitive'. These are communities where more than 25% of the population is Welsh speaking. Page 60
• The plan aims to protect the cultural and linguistic character of communities where Welsh has a significant role, but only as far as the planning system allows. Page 60

Where it stands

Being examined Reached in October 2025.

An independent inspector is examining the plan and may hold public hearings. The inspector can require changes.

What happens next

Adopting the new plan

The stages of a new plan

1. 1. Reviewing the current plan
2. 2. Setting a timetable
3. 3. Sites put forward
4. 4. Preferred strategy
5. 5. Draft plan published
6. 6. Sent for examination
7. 7. Being examined
8. 8. Adopted