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Haverfordwest regeneration boosted by millions in extra funding

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Council secures grants to cover project overruns without increasing taxpayer burden

TWO major regeneration projects in Haverfordwest are set to progress without additional cost to the taxpayer, following Pembrokeshire County Council’s successful acquisition of external funding.​

A report scheduled for Cabinet review on Monday (April 28) outlines that the Heart of Pembrokeshire (HoP) and Western Quayside schemes will benefit from new grants, allowing the projects to continue despite unforeseen challenges and increased costs.​

The HoP project, with an approved capital budget of £26.27 million, and the Western Quayside scheme, budgeted at £11.62 million, faced combined overruns nearing £4 million. These overruns were primarily due to the deteriorated condition of the historic Gaol building and archaeological constraints. However, additional support from the Welsh Government and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund will cover these costs without increasing the Council’s financial contribution.​

Significant new grants secured

The Council has secured an extra £2.7 million from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns Fund and £1.26 million via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. These funds will facilitate green infrastructure works at Western Quayside and enhance pedestrian links between Haverfordwest Castle and the town centre.​

To meet grant requirements and streamline project accounting, some elements initially delivered under the HoP scheme—such as public realm work around the Foundry—will be reallocated to the Western Quayside project.​

Further applications are being prepared to secure additional funding from the Transforming Towns programme. If successful, these would support a post-HoP “fit-out” of the castle site, improve town centre wayfinding, and enhance visitor experiences, all without extra cost to the Council.​

Castle and Gaol restoration separated

While the HoP scheme is well underway, the Council plans to separate the later-stage restoration of the Gaol and Governor’s House into a distinct project. This £2 million fit-out scheme has already received £368,525 in National Lottery Heritage funding, with further bids in progress. The Council aims to reduce its match funding requirement significantly.​

Separating the HoP and the Castle Fit-out projects within the capital programme is expected to provide clearer financial transparency.​

Criticism over project management

Despite the financial boost, the Council faces criticism for initiating restoration work on the Gaol without secured funding for its completion. Critics argue that this approach was premature and risky, especially given the building’s deteriorated condition and archaeological complexities. This has raised questions about project management and financial planning.​

The broader context includes significant funding cuts to Pembrokeshire County Council, with a reported reduction of over 40% in Shared Prosperity Scheme funding. Such cuts have intensified scrutiny over the Council’s allocation of resources, particularly in light of other pressing needs across the county.​

Council Leader Jon Harvey, who succeeded David Simpson in May 2024, has pledged to bring “compassion and transparency” to the role and to work collaboratively with other political groups. However, the decision to proceed with the Gaol’s restoration without secured funding for its completion remains a contentious issue, highlighting the need for transparent and comprehensive financial planning in public projects.​

Two options on the table

Cabinet members will consider two options. The preferred route is to accept the new external funding and reallocate budgets accordingly, delivering the full vision of both regeneration schemes while keeping the Council’s capital contribution unchanged.​Pembrokeshire Herald

Alternatively, councillors could reduce their capital spending by using the new grants to offset current commitments. However, this would render the HoP project unviable, potentially forcing the permanent closure of Castle Back and risking clawback of up to £17.7 million from UK Government and National Lottery funders.​

A separate recommendation would grant senior officers the authority to adjust the budget if further external funding becomes available, provided the Council’s own contribution does not increase.​

No legal or HR issues raised

The report confirms there are no legal or human resources concerns linked to the proposed changes. While the Director of Resources supports the plan, they caution that efforts must continue to reduce the Council’s overall borrowing levels.

Crime

Woman stabbed partner in Haverfordwest before handing herself in

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A WOMAN who stabbed her partner during a drug-fuelled episode walked straight into Haverfordwest Police Station and told officers what she had done, Swansea Crown Court has heard.

Amy Woolston, 22, of Dartmouth Street in Milford Haven, arrived at the station at around 8:00pm on June 13 and said: “I stabbed my ex-partner earlier… he’s alright and he let me walk off,” prosecutor Tom Scapens told the court.

The pair had taken acid together earlier in the day, and Woolston claimed she believed she could feel “stab marks in her back” before the incident.

Police find victim with four wounds

Officers went to the victim’s home to check on him. He was not there at first, but returned shortly afterwards. He appeared sober and told police: “Just a couple of things,” before pointing to injuries on his back.

He had three stab or puncture wounds to his back and another to his bicep.

The victim said that when he arrived home from the shop, Woolston was acting “a bit shifty”. After asking if she was alright, she grabbed something from the windowsill — described as either a knife or a shard of glass — and stabbed him.

He told officers he had “had worse from her before”, did not support a prosecution, and refused to go to hospital.

Defendant has long history of violence

Woolston pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding. The court heard she had amassed 20 previous convictions from 10 court appearances, including assaults, battery, and offences against emergency workers.

Defending, Dyfed Thomas said Woolston had longstanding mental health problems and had been off medication prescribed for paranoid schizophrenia at the time.
“She’s had a difficult upbringing,” he added, saying she was remorseful and now compliant with treatment.

Woolston was jailed for 12 months, but the court heard she has already served the equivalent time on remand and will be released imminently on a 12-month licence.

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News

BBC apologises to Herald’s editor for inaccurate story

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THE BBC has issued a formal apology and amended a six-year-old article written by BBC Wales Business Correspondent Huw Thomas after its Executive Complaints Unit ruled that the original headline and wording gave an “incorrect impression” that Herald editor Tom Sinclair was personally liable for tens of thousands of pounds in debt.

The 2019 report, originally headlined “Herald newspaper editor Tom Sinclair has £70,000 debts”, has now been changed.

The ECU found: “The wording of the article and its headline could have led readers to form the incorrect impression that the debt was Mr Sinclair’s personal responsibility… In that respect the article failed to meet the BBC’s standards of due accuracy.”

Mr Sinclair said: “I’m grateful to the ECU for the apology and for correcting the personal-liability impression that caused real harm for six years. However, the article still links the debts to ‘the group which publishes The Herald’ when in fact they related to printing companies that were dissolved two years before the Herald was founded in 2013. I have asked the BBC to add that final clarification so the record is completely accurate.”

A formal apology and correction of this kind from the BBC is extremely rare, especially for a story more than six years old. 

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Business

First wind turbine components arrive as LNG project moves ahead

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THE FIRST ship carrying major components for Dragon LNG’s new onshore wind turbines docked at Pembroke Port last week, marking the start of physical deliveries for the multi-million-pound renewable energy project.

The Maltese-registered general cargo vessel Peak Bergen berthed at Pembroke Dock on Wednesday 26th November, bringing tower sections and other heavy components for the three Enercon turbines that will eventually stand on land adjacent to the existing gas terminal at Waterston.

A second vessel, the Irish-flagged Wilson Flex IV, has arrived in Pembroke Port today  (Thursday) carrying the giant rotor blades.

The deliveries follow a successful trial convoy on 25 November, when police-escorted low-loader trailers carried dummy loads along the planned route from the port through Pembroke, past Waterloo roundabout and up the A477 to the Dragon LNG site.

Dragon LNG’s Community and Social Performance Officer, Lynette Round, confirmed the latest movements in emails to the Herald.

“The Peak Bergen arrived last week with the first components,” she said. “We are expecting another delivery tomorrow (Thursday) onboard the Wilson Flex IV. This will be blades and is currently showing an ETA of approximately 03:30.”

The £14.3 million project, approved by Welsh Ministers last year, will see three turbines with a combined capacity of up to 13.5 MW erected on company-owned land next to the LNG terminal. Once operational – expected in late 2026 – they will generate enough electricity to power the entire site, significantly reducing its carbon footprint.

The Weather conditions were favourable for the arrival of the Wilson Flex IV, which was tracking south of the Smalls at midnight.

The abnormal-load convoys carrying the components from the port to Waterston are expected to begin early next year, subject to final police and highway approvals.

A community benefit fund linked to the project will provide for residents in nearby Waterston, Llanstadwell and Neyland.

Further updates will be issued by Dragon LNG as the Port of Milford Haven as the delivery programme continues.

Photo: Martin Cavaney

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