A call by a Pembroke Town Council to be allowed to site allotments on a County Council-owned derelict play area has been given the go-ahead by county planners.

Permission has been sought for a partly retrospective change of use of the former local authority play area on land to the rear of Station Road to 20 allotments.

Due to demand of allotments, the Town Council has leased the land from PCC as a community growing area.

The application states that the land will be divided into around 20 plots, with a 1.5m wide pedestrian path, going through the middle of the field to access the individual plots.

The application states: “The site is in a state of unkemptness due to restricted access and a lack of use by any departments in the authority for at least the last decade. PCC own the site, and Environmental Services are asset managers. On the whole the site is in remarkably good condition and requires very little intervention as a proposed allotment.”

“Only pedestrian access is possible to the site, however this makes highly suitable to offer to local residents, which would be preferential.

“With regards to allotments, we tend to provide an area of land ’as seen’, it would be a tenant’s responsibility to tidy the plot and rid it of weeds and unwanted green growth, and deal with composting accordingly.”

An officer report recommending approval said: “The retrospective application is considered to be acceptable in terms of its nature and scale and is considered to be appropriately designed for its intended purpose of providing allotments.

“Subject to the imposition of [a condition regarding boundary treatments between allotments], it is considered that the partial retrospective development is of a good design and would not detract from the character of the area.”

The application was conditionally approved.