News

St Davids: Premier Inn plans approved

Published

1 year ago

June 6, 2018

THE APPLICATION for a Premier Inn Hotel and other homes in St Davids has been delegated to National Park officers to approve after members of the Development Management Committee gave their support.

The Committee met at a packed Ty’r Pererin Hall on Quickwell Hill in St Davids today (Jun 6).

Members of the YoPI (Yes to Premier Inn) and NoPI (No to Premier Inn) campaigns were also in attendance and gave their views to the committee.

The plans will see the hotel, 38 affordable homes and 32 open market dwellings built on land at Glasfryn Lane.

St Davids County Councillor David Lloyd said: “Prior to the interest of Premier Inn to locate in St Davids the homes were to have been developed by the St Davids Peninsula Community Land Trust, following seven years of preparatory work, with a view to employing the profits from the sale of the open market homes to match fund the replacement of the local swimming pool closed in 2009.

“The controversy surrounding Premier Inn’s interest, however, resulted in the Community Land Trust having to withdraw from the project causing the plans to create a new pool to be abandoned. Fortunately, the badly needed provision of affordable housing for local people remains part of the application. It is in my view imperative that these homes are built.

“Ysgol Dewi Sant’s School roll dropped from over 500 pupils to as few as 390 in 2016. As is well known, in January 2016, the school was scheduled for closure. It narrowly survived, but at the price of losing its sixth form. In my view it is unthinkable that the chance of underpinning the school’s future should not now be grasped.

“With regard to the Premier Inn element of the application, notwithstanding the blow of losing what in my view will be the only chance of replacing the pool, I support the application.

“The 63 new bedrooms would serve to replace the 55 2/3-star hotel rooms that have been lost in recent years following the closure of Whitesands Bay Hotel, St Nons Hotel, Glan Y Mor Hotel and the change in status of Twr Y Felin Hotel. In my view St Davids is seriously under provided for in mid-range hotel accommodation, a view shared by Keith Griffiths, proprietor of what is now the five-star Twr Y Felin.

“The experience of Tenby, which is wholly reliant on tourism, as is St Davids, has shown that the arrival of Premier Inn has been a major boost to trade in both the accommodation and retail sector. I am confident the same will apply to St Davids.

“Finally I turn to the question of the nature of the joint application. While it would not be accurate to say that Premier Inn is enabling the provision of housing within the joint project it would be fair to say that by sharing the significant cost of the various site surveys and the cost of planning application itself, it has made possible the almost unique proportion of affordable houses, some 54%, that make up the housing element of this application. It is a remarkable opportunity for the St Davids Peninsula and indeed for the Park and one too great to lose.”

Cllr Paul Harries felt that the application could have been better than what it was while other members were concerned about the hotel being three stories high.

Cllr Phil Baker said he was concerned about the need for 63 beds and questioned why it had to be three-storey.

Mr Ted Sangster moved that the recommendation to delegate to officers be approved and that was seconded by Cllr Peter Morgan.

Cllr Mike Evans also sought assurances that the first lot of rented homes should go to local people.
The application was approved unanimously.

The decision was met with applause by some members of the audience.

Following the decision, Cllr Lloyd added: “I felt that the meeting was conducted fairly and everybody had the opportunity to give their views and this was acknowledged by members of the committee and the outcome was one that I very much support.”

News

Give the gift of fitness this Christmas

Published

24 hours ago

November 21, 2019

Thomas Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE LEISURE is offering the ‘gift of fitness’ this Christmas, with a limited time only membership offer.

A three-month membership can be purchased for £99 from any leisure centre until December 23, 2019.

Membership includes the use of gyms, group exercise classes, public swimming and lessons, health suites and exercise programmes at any of Pembrokeshire County Council’s leisure centres (located at Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke, Fishguard, Tenby, St.Davids and Crymych).

The membership gifts must be activated by January 31, 2020.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/pembrokeshireleisure/

News

National Lottery gives £63m to Pembrokeshire over 25 years

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2019

Thomas Sinclair

THE National Lottery celebrates its 25th Birthday today and charities and community groups in Pembrokeshire are marking the incredible impact of the £63 million awarded to more than 2,400 good causes in the area over the last quarter of a century.

The National Lottery’s first draw took place on 19 November 1994 and the 25th Birthday is a moment to celebrate the extraordinary impact the National Lottery has had on good causes in Pembrokeshire – large and small – in the areas of arts, sport, heritage and community.

Whether it’s funding for large iconic projects and landmarks; small community projects which make a big difference; producing the most amazing films; or supporting grassroots sports clubs – it’s thanks to National Lottery players, who raise more than £6.4 million each month for good causes in Wales, that brilliant projects which support our communities and make a vital and sustained contribution to our national life are possible.

As part of the celebrations today, an unique map of Wales, featuring 14 of the most iconic landmarks funded over the last 25 years will be unveiled. The map, created by Welsh artist Hannah Davies, will be on display at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff from November 19th – 25th, features Skomer Island, which was awarded more than £1.6 million from the National Lottery in 2004 for renovation and conservation work, including refurbishing the 150-year-old farmhouse and outbuildings. The map also features St Davids Cathedral which was awarded a £524,000 grant from the National Lottery in 2004 to restore the historically important Cloisters at St Davids Cathedral. The cloister walks were built on the exposed foundations of the original 14th century Cloisters and have been reconstructed to their original heights. New educational facilities, meeting rooms, vestries and lavatories were also built and a new Treasury housing unique artefacts.

A wide variety of other local projects in Pembrokeshire have received National Lottery funding over the last 25 years, including:
· £4.8 million towards modernising and redeveloping the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven – a vibrant centre for the arts;
· £2 million to Revitalise, renovate and conserve historic properties in Haverfordwest town’s conservation area so they can become more attractive and commercially viable; and
· £427,000 to build Haverfordwest Skatepark – a free to access outdoor skateboarding, skating and biking facility in the town which opened in 2013. Wales and Pembrokeshire’s own World Champion wheelchair sports superstar, Lily Rice, can often be seen practicing her tricks here.

70% of all National Lottery grants however have been for small amounts worth up to £10,000, bringing benefits to communities far and wide. These include:
· £10,000 for Pembrokeshire based The DPJ foundation in 2016 to launch and raise awareness of Share the Load – a 24/7 telephone and counselling service for people with mental health problems in rural communities. The charity was established by 31-year-old Emma Picton-Jones, whose 34-year-old husband, Daniel Picton-Jones, an agricultural contractor, tragically took his own life in 2016 after battling with depression and anxiety;
· £4,885 for the Fishguard Unit 142 of the Sea Cadet Corps to create an IT suite which will benefit the cadets and the wider community; and
· £1,500 for Fishguard and Goodwick Jemima Rowing Club to purchase new equipment and coaching training.

In the last 25 years, more than £166 million of National Lottery funding has been invested to 17,300 grassroots sports projects in Wales – creating opportunities for everyone to get fit and improve their lives through sport. The National Lottery has also helped develop some of Wales’ most successful and recognisable athletes to thrive. Those currently reaping the rewards from the National Lottery funded World Class Programme include 30-year-old Matt Bush from Neyland who became the first British man to claim a title at the World Para-taekwondo championships in Turkey this year. The World Class Programme affords athletes coaching, training, and competition support, medical, technology and scientific services. Matt, who stands at 6ft 5in is joined by Welsh Taekwondo star Jade Jones on the programme and has his sights firmly set on representing Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.

Highlighting the impact of the National Lottery in Wales over the last 25 years, Nick Capaldi, Chair of The Wales National Lottery Forum and the Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Wales, said: “For 25 years, The National Lottery has been creating possibilities and making us proud of our communities whilst protecting the things we’re most passionate about in Wales. Without the funding, many of our most loved and iconic landmarks wouldn’t exist and many charities wouldn’t be changing lives to the scale they are now. The 25th Birthday is a time to recognise and reflect on the momentous and positive impact the National Lottery has had on the lives of people in communities throughout Wales.”

Discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has had on your community over the past 25 years by visiting www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using hashtag: #NationalLottery25.