News

Plans for quarry which may have once roofed House of Commons backed

Published

2 years ago

January 11, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A SCHEME to extract waste from a disused quarry, believed to have once provided slates for the Houses of Parliament, has been backed by Pembrokeshire planners.

Alan James Ai Feibion CYF sought permission to remove slate waste from Gilfach Quarry, Llangolman on the Pembrokeshire/Carmarthenshire border; the waste being used as a secondary aggregate in a variety of projects – such as agricultural farm tracks.

The application was recommended for conditional approval at the January 9 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning committee, with members hearing no blasting or crushing would be needed to remove the waste material.

The slate quarried in the area is said to be of Ordovician volcanic ash origin, with claims – repeated at the meeting – that slate from Gilfach was used on the roof of the Houses of Parliament when rebuilt in the 1830s.

The proposed extraction site, an old slate tip, itself forms a small part of the overall disused site; it is anticipated that the site would yield some 110,642 tonnes, with a maximum tonnage of 10,000 expected to be extracted a year.

A report for planners said: “The applicant owns a civil engineering business and carries out various works on agricultural holdings where this material could be utilised in the use of tracks and/or subbase for buildings.

“The applicant also intends to supply stone to local stone masons, in additional to local farmers who have contacted the applicant since they have bought the site.”

In a planning complication, the access for the site is within the Pembrokeshire, but the public highways are under Carmarthenshire jurisdiction.

Neither authority has raised objections on highways grounds but requests for surfacing access warning signage were made.

Moving approval, Councillor Mark Carter said: “I think it’s a perfectly sensible proposal.”

He was seconded by Councillor Iwan Ward, who said: “I just want to give my support to this, a great way of recycling waster material in Pembrokeshire, but the biggest thing is the secured employment for north Pembrokeshire.”

The application – with a long string of conditions – was unanimously approved.

Education

Milford Haven School issues heatwave update as temperatures soar

Published

14 minutes ago

June 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

MILFORD HAVEN SCHOOL has thanked pupils and staff for the way they have supported one another during the current heatwave.

The school said cooperation and care across the school community had been greatly appreciated.

With tomorrow (Jun 25) forecast to be the hottest day of the current spell, pupils are being asked to come prepared by bringing plenty of water, wearing sunscreen, and staying as protected from the sun as possible.

Pupils will also be permitted to wear their PE kit to help keep cool.

The school said it will continue to monitor the situation closely and take all necessary steps to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of pupils and staff.

Business

Main Street Music to close retail shop as owner focuses on handmade guitars

Published

20 minutes ago

June 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A POPULAR Pembrokeshire music shop is changing the way it operates, with Main Street Music confirming it will no longer trade as a retail shop from September 1.

The business said there will be an immediate 15% sale on all stock, but stressed that Main Street Music is not disappearing completely.

The owner said the decision had been made “with a heavy heart”, adding that the shop’s closure as a retail outlet would be a loss for Pembrokeshire as the county’s last professional guitar dealership.

He said his long-term passion had always been making musical instruments, something he had done since his teenage years, later receiving scholarships and a fellowship for his studies.

After college, he was given the opportunity to buy the business at the age of 24.

He said: “I have had an amazing time running this shop, giving it everything I’ve got, met some wonderful people and sold some incredible guitars.”

Although the business itself remains successful, he said tighter retail margins, dealership pressures and rising costs had made it difficult to grow in a way that would allow him to employ others and spend more time in the workshop.

The shop will eventually reopen as an appointment-only workshop and showroom for handmade guitars and repairs.

Current repair work will continue on a case-by-case basis by appointment only.

Main Street Music thanked customers for their support over recent years, saying the owner was proud of where the shop had been taken.

Caption:

Main Street Music will close as a retail shop from September 1, but will continue as an appointment-only workshop and showroom for handmade guitars and repairs.

News

Crackwell Street set to reopen after five-month closure

Published

1 hour ago

June 24, 2026

Tom Sinclair

ROADWORKS linked to structural repairs at Goscar House in Tenby are nearing completion, with Crackwell Street expected to reopen to through traffic today (Wednesday, June 24).

Scaffolding has now been removed from the property, with contractors carrying out a general clearance of the area.

The road has been closed for around five months while structural repair work has been taking place.

Local residents, businesses and visitors are expected to welcome the reopening, with Crackwell Street forming an important route through the town.

Pembrokeshire County Council has indicated that, all being well, the road will reopen later today.

Gareth Davies, of Gareth Davies Photography Tenby, said it was “good to see the removal of scaffolding today and general clearance on the property”.

He added that locals and visitors would be “so pleased” to see the road open once again.

Photo caption:

Clearance work: Contractors at Crackwell Street, Tenby, as scaffolding is removed from Goscar House (Pic: Gareth Davies).