THE green light has been given to Bluestone National Park Resort to make its planned £15m investment in 80 new lodges.

Hailed as a boost for the Pembrokeshire and South Wales economy, the go-ahead follows positive planning decisions from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committees.

It comes as a welcome move forward after a year where the company saw a £17.5m drop in its hospitality sales because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, this was partially offset by the £6 million commercial partnership with Hywel Dda UHB to create the field hospital Ysbyty Enfys Carreg Las.

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The resort already has 344 lodges, studios and cottages on its 500-acre site, where its 80 new environmentally sensitive, self-catered lodges will be located.

The development will create and support over 250 jobs in the construction phase as well as nearly 90 operational jobs on site following the completion of the works.

The new lodges will increase spending by Bluestone in the surrounding area by up to £1.5m per year, with visitors contributing up to a further £1m.

 Liz Weedon, Bluestone’s head of projects, said: “We are really pleased to have the resolutions approved and we are very excited about the lodge development – which cements Bluestone’s firm commitment to further investment, job creation and supporting the wider regional economy.

“We are proud and privileged to be based in Pembrokeshire and see real potential for the county to benefit significantly from staycation demand in the future.”

“We are looking forward to taking forward our proposals which will be a very significant investment in tourism for Pembrokeshire, Wales and the UK.”

William McNamara, chief executive of Bluestone, added: “These planning decisions are a big step forward for the business. After a very challenging period, it is positive for everyone connected with Bluestone – our staff, local suppliers and community partners – to have these state-of-the-art, environmentally sensitive lodges on the horizon.”

There was unanimous support for the Pembrokeshire County Council part of Bluestone’s plan when it came before the authority’s planning committee last Tueday, April 20.

The application was for the partial development of holiday lodges and guest car parking, enhancements to the existing access road and associated infrastructure including circulation road, landscaping, drainage infrastructure, retaining walls and earth bunding.

A separate application relating to land within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park due to be was heard the following day.

The proposed lodge development site is to the south west corner of the resort and “is located between two large scale developments and is an infill development on operational land,” a planning report states.

The 80 new lodges will be “of a higher quality” with an eco-focus reducing carbon and energy usage, along with a welcome lodge, buggy park shelter and new car park.

A pre-application consultation was held last year, when Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority also approved a change of use application for Blackpool Mill to be turned into the restaurant, with a cafe and exhibition space in the adjacent former cottage and forge building.

The committee unanimously approved the application.