Residents of St Dogmaels who ran a successful campaign against plans for a luxury housing development eighteen months back are now celebrating another victory.

Back in the summer of 2023, a scheme for the Enzo housing development at Green Meadow was withdrawn following spirited opposition from locals who feared many of the new houses would become second homes or holiday lets.

Community group Llandudoch Yfory – backed by St Dogmaels community councillors – argued that the plans would have a detrimental effect on a village where many local residents were being ‘priced out’.

A petition against the proposal drew over 1200 signatures and campaigners were delighted to subsequently learn that the application, which was to be considered by Pembrokeshire County Council planners, had been withdrawn after a planning officer evaluation found the proposed scheme ‘conflicted with Future Wales and Local Development Plan policies, amongst others, and would lead to adverse biodiversity impacts’.

Now ‘people power’ has again won the day after a secondary campaign to preserve two mature oak trees on the Green Meadow site has led to the granting of Tree Preservation Orders.

In a Facebook post campaigner Cheryl Stephenson said: “My eight year old niece, a passionate conservationist who wrote in to the council last year to lend support for the threatened oak trees on the Enzo development site, has now received an email to advise her that the Tree Preservation Orders are in place!

“A huge thank you to everyone that supported the Llandudoch Yfory group last year, and made our voices heard...ordinary people, young and old, can make a huge difference when they get together.”

Giving her reaction, Cllr Jo Hutchings, vice-chair of St Dogmaels Community Council, described it as 'a good effort and decision all-round.'

"It's good to see the smaller oaks on site also granted TPO status, as well as the mature ones," she added.