New planning blow for roundhouse

The house was built without planning permission in 1997

The owners of a turf-covered roundhouse at the centre of a nine-year planning wrangle have again been told the building must be demolished.

Tony Wrench and Jane Faith failed in a new bid for planning permission from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

Authority members ruled the self-styled eco-development at Brithdir Mawr was not "sufficiently self-sustainable".

The owners have a right to lodge an appeal with the Welsh Assembly Government over the decision.

Mr Wrench built the roundhouse in 1997. The national park authority only became aware of the house on its land in 1998 and has demanded its demolition ever since.

He has refused to knock down the roundhouse despite several court orders.

A truce was called between the two parties while the park authority drew up a "low impact development" policy to govern such applications.

But at a meeting members ruled that on balance the roundhouse was not of "positive environmental benefit" and did not provide "sufficient livelihood" for residents to live in a self-sustainable way.