Plans to temporarily site lifeguard rescue equipment in a shipping container at a popular south Pembrokeshire beach have been given the go-ahead by the national park.
In an application before Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sought permission to site a lifeguard rescue equipment store associated with RNLI beach patrols at the National Trust Car Park, Freshwater West Beach.
A national park officer report, recommending approval, said: “The current application site forms part of the seasonal overspill carpark to the rear of the southern car park and forms an area of grassed surface bounded by stock proof fencing with double gates to allow access from the main car park.
“This application seeks consent to accommodate a seasonal storage container to be used during the months of June to September each year as a store for rescue equipment comprising of an all-terrain vehicle and rescue watercraft to support the RNLI lifeguard patrols.
“The shipping container will be used in conjunction with the existing life-saving facility located on the beach at Freshwater West and will be removed from site outside of the season.”
The report says that, while a proposed permanent seasonal use of the storage container “would cause an unacceptable adverse effect on the special qualities including the landscape and seascape features of the National Park,” it is “recognised that the proposal supports a lifesaving service and this is considered to be a significant material planning consideration”.
It adds: “As such, officers would support a temporary consent for the proposed storage container for a two-year period only to allow a permanent solution to be identified within the local area.”
It went on to say: “Whilst officers consider the container is conspicuous when viewed from vantage points from the adjacent coast path and inland foot paths, its two-year only seasonal nature and removal from Freshwater West during the off season (October – May) would mean the shipping container would only have a temporary adverse effect on the special qualities of the National Park due to its temporary nature but could not be supported on a permanent basis giving its impact on the special qualities and sensitive receptors.”
The application was given conditional temporary approval by national park officers on December 23.