Hobbit House lessons on eco-friendly planning

Pembrokeshire's Hobbit House challenges planners

The on-going saga surrounding the so-called ‘Hobbit House’ in north Pembrokeshire epitomises all that is most frustrating about the county’s planning system. Here we have a young couple, like so many other young people desperate to get on the housing ladder, who have taken matters into their own hands in an imaginative and eco-friendly way. In the process they have confronted an unfriendly planning system in county hall, won plaudits from architectural celebrities, mobilised a world-wide social media campaign, and dragged in the Welsh Government’s planning inspectorate.

Megan Williams and Charlie Hague and their new born son Eli moved into their hobbit-style roundhouse in the garden of Megan’s parent’s home in Glandwr near Crymych in 2012. It had taken them a year to self-build at a cost of  £12,000. It’s a remarkable, individually designed structure that reflects Charlie’s woodworking skills. Timber-framed, its walls are straw bales to conserve energy, and the roof is made of turf. Inside is a hobbit’s paradise. Outside the single-storey dwelling occupies a secluded spot, well out of sight. It overlooks a large pond in a garden where Megan grows raspberries, blackcurrants, gooseberries, redcurrants, whitecurrants, strawberries, and rhubarb for sale. The trouble is that Megan and Charles did not apply for planning permission for the building in advance – probably they had no detailed plans before they started – and only did so retrospectively.

Predictably, last July the county’s planning committee turned them down, by nine votes to four. Haverfordwest councillor Peter Stock said, “I do not think there is anyone in Wales who would be against this development. I think it is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen.” But Lampeter Velfrey councillor Rob Simpson, Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability said that despite the building’s relatively low visual impact, it eroded the rural character of its surroundings and represented “an unsustainable form of development in terms of distance from day to day facilities.” He went on to say that he would hate to see the building pulled down but that letting it stay would set a precedent. And he added, “I hope that we can find a way so that this development can remain, either at the Assembly level or whatever, but unfortunately there are rules and regulations that we must follow.”

Megan and Charlie lodged an appeal against the county council and a hearing was held in Hermon community hall last week. The Welsh Government’s Planning Inspector Kay Williams will announce a decision in the next couple of months. But she hinted last week that she might be minded to stay an execution of the hobbit house so long as a sustainable design and management plan for it can be agreed with Pembrokeshire County Council.

What this case tells us is that our planning procedures should move away from what seems to be an automatic prior presumption against development. This is certainly the case with the National Park, and is often the case with the County Council, especially with individual applications. Instead we need an approach that asks, “How can we co-operate together to ensure that developments can be allowed to proceed on a community friendly and environmental basis?”

How the arts and fun can improve our schools

When we look back on our school days what do we remember most? Invariably, I would say it is something creative - an outstanding teacher who inspired us, a school trip, or perhaps a school play. In a new report published last week by Estyn, the Schools Inspectorate, three Pembrokeshire primary schools are among only 14 from the whole of Wales highlighted for embedding the creative arts in their lessons. The schools are praised for demonstrating how involving children in art and design, dance, drama, and music has spin-offs for their reading, writing, numeracy and, above all, for their confidence, initiative, and leadership. 

At Milford Haven Junior School all the children are given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument free of charge. Currently 80 are members of the school’s Big Band which meets weekly after school. In 2013 the Band reached the finals of the annual Music for Youth competition in Birmingham. The Estyn report comments how the children still recall their feelings of excitement at this event and how the audience joined in the Band’s rendition of a Tom Jones medley. It says they still speak “with pride and passion” about their performance.

  

This year Fenton Primary School in Haverfordwest, like many others in Pembrokeshire, is taking part in the annual UK-wide Shakespeare festival for schools, performing scenes from The Tempest. The school, which has also established a choir and orchestra, says the arts have a positive impact on its pupils’ wellbeing and broadens their horizons, especially those from poorer backgrounds. Significantly, involvement in the Shakespeare festival has improved attendance. “Pupils say this is because they want to be present for the rehearsals and are looking forward to the performance on stage.” 

Puncheston Primary School in the Preseli hills owns an impressive collection of over 200 original art works donated by many famous Welsh artists including Kyffin Williams, David Tress, and Stan Rosenthal. Built up by a previous headteacher Alun Ifans, the collection is used to provide inspiration for cross-curricular lessons. Estyn comments, “Nearly all pupils showed a rich respect and reverence for the art and culture of Wales displayed in their school. They have a clear understanding of their own cultural identity. They speak knowledgeably and fondly about familiar artists, their styles and techniques.” 

We can be proud that three of our schools in the county are among those carrying the torch for the arts in Welsh education. We pay too much attention to the bottom line of results in examinations without first appreciating what it takes to inspire children to want to learn in the first place. The challenge is to ensure the approaches demonstrated by forward looking schools travels to others. As the Estyn report (Best Practice in teaching and learning in the creative arts at Key Stage 2) says, too much depends on whether there is an enthusiastic teacher on the staff with specialist skills and knowledge. The answer, I think, is to value and respect our teachers more, and invest in their training, professional development and support. After all, it is good teachers who make great schools.

Questions the parties face in Preseli

Standing in an election you learn a lot about the strengths and weaknesses of your opponents. Most of the candidates first met each other in the hustings across Pembrokeshire during the campaign, from Newport to Neyland. For all of us the experience highlighted fundamental questions we face, including myself in Plaid Cymru. 

In the campaign Stephen Crabb, freshly elected Conservative MP, declared that the future of Withybush was the number one concern. He put out a special leaflet calling for the restoration of the Special Care Baby Unit. All the candidates agreed on this. But what would restoring the Special Care Baby Unit mean? It would involve returning a consultant-led maternity service at Withybush, including gynaecology, obstetrics and paediatrics specialities.

The Hywel Dda Health Board and Welsh Government argue that it is financially unsustainable to have this level of cover at both Haverfordwest and Carmarthen. Advised by doctors our reply is to say that it is vital for all mothers in childbirth to be within 20 minutes of a consultant gynaecologist in case anything goes wrong, otherwise lives will be lost.

But does Stephen Crabb fully appreciate the extent and financial implications of what he is calling for? And will he use his position as Secretary of State for Wales to make this essential demand a priority in his regular meetings with Carwyn Jones the Labour First Minister in Cardiff Bay? 

Labour candidate Paul Miller fought a decent campaign. His role as leader of the Labour Group in toppling chief executive Bryn Parry-Jones as chief executive of the council meant he had a good record to defend. He also demonstrated initiative with his ‘Plan for Pembrokeshire’ and its emphasis on creating new jobs. However, Paul was hampered by his party. This showed in the campaign by the way it was he who was projected by Labour rather than Labour itself.

Labour has retreated into its southern redoubt around Neyland and Milford and finds it difficult to appeal across the county as a whole. There is an anti-Tory majority in Pembrokeshire but it is split across the progressive parties. The question for Labour is whether it can bridge the gap. 

Like the Greens elsewhere Frances Bryant suffered from her effort to broaden her party’s appeal. In the process her central message about climate change tended to get lost. But can the Greens avoid being other than a one track party? 

The question for the Liberal Democrats concerns its fielding a phantom candidate. Nick Tregoning did not appear in this election. He didn’t attend any of the hustings and even failed to turn up for the count. 

Plaid Cymru’s challenge is similar to Labour’s. How can Plaid build a coalition across Preseli to unite the progressive majority that is out there to be mobilised? We wondered whether Chris Overton and his independent campaign for Withybush might lead the way this time. The relative success of Howard Lillyman in putting UKIP third in the Preseli election demonstrates the hurdle we have to overcome. But we have to strive to do better in the Assembly elections next year. The future of our public services in Pembrokeshire depends on it.