MEMBERS of the public are being invited to go behind the scenes at Pembroke Port as part of a special Open Day and Annual Stakeholder Meeting hosted by the Port of Milford Haven.

The event will take place on Wednesday, 18 June, at Catalina House, Pembroke Dock (SA72 6JD), offering a unique opportunity to discover the inner workings of one of Wales’ busiest ports.

Running from 2:00pm to 6:00pm, the Open Day will include guided bus tours around the site, giving visitors a rare, close-up look at port operations and activities across the facility. Port staff, local business representatives, and partners from across the supply chain will also be on hand to discuss their work and answer questions.

From 6:00pm to 7:30pm, the Port’s Annual Stakeholder Meeting will be held, where attendees will hear updates from the Chair and Chief Executive, meet members of the Board and senior management, and take part in a Q&A session. Questions can be submitted in advance via email to [email protected].

Throughout the day, visitors can explore the wide-ranging roles of the Port of Milford Haven – from commercial marine services and energy sector support to community initiatives and leisure activities. A number of external organisations will also be present, including emergency services, marine experts, and conservation groups highlighting Pembrokeshire’s diverse wildlife.

Faeces on walls, maggots in bedding: Judge brands home ”a pigsty’

A PEMBROKESHIRE mother has avoided an immediate prison sentence after admitting to neglecting her children in a home described by a judge as “appalling”.

The woman – who cannot be named to protect the identity of her children – appeared before Swansea Crown Court on two counts of wilful child neglect. The court heard that the conditions inside the family’s Milford Haven property were so dire that social services deemed it unfit for habitation.

The case came to light after repeated concerns were raised by the children’s schools, who had flagged ongoing issues with hygiene and wellbeing dating back to 2019. Prosecutor Ryan Bowen told the court that teachers noted a persistent foul smell, dirty fingernails, unwashed lunchboxes, and children frequently arriving at school tired and without sufficient food.

In one disturbing incident, a child told a teacher they were unable to sleep due to maggots in their bed. Another was seen using a mouldy towel after swimming lessons. When asked to describe their home, the children said their mother could not enter their bedrooms because of the mess.

On June 14 last year, officers from Pembrokeshire County Council visited the property following a school referral. What they discovered was described as appalling: faeces smeared on walls and floors upstairs, rubbish and flies in the children’s rooms, and a fridge full of expired food. A broken washing machine blocked the dining room.

Social workers instructed the family to temporarily move in with relatives. However, a follow-up inspection revealed little had changed, and the mother was subsequently arrested.

During police interview, she admitted the situation had deteriorated, claiming she had become “nose-blind” to the smell and had “put her head in the sand like an ostrich”.

Hannah George, defending, said her client was deeply ashamed and had taken steps to improve her situation following the loss of a close family member. The court was told the mother, who is in her thirties and has no previous convictions, had engaged with social services, mental health teams, and completed several parenting courses.

Although she no longer has custody of her children, social services are planning a phased return under supervision.

Judge Paul Thomas KC condemned the conditions as “a pigsty” and handed the woman a 21-month sentence, suspended for two years. She must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work and attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement (RAR) days.

A MULTI-MILLION POUND scheme to redevelop a derelict Pembrokeshire motel, described as “one of the last true blots on our county’s landscape” with the promise of creating 18 jobs, and even bringing back a post office lost after the Horizon scandal, has been approved.

In an application before Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s May 21 development management committee, Nick Neumann of Newgale Holidays sought permission to redevelop the former Roch Gate Motel to a mixed commercial and community use hub called ‘The Gate,’ including a village shop/post office, bistro/restaurant, and a tourism development of 18 holiday lodges.

Since a pre-application consultation in 2023 and a formal submission of plans last September, amended plans reduced the landscape impact, as well as reducing the number of lodges from 25 to 18 and removing previously included industrial units from the scheme.

The application was recommended for approval despite concerns raised by Natural Resources Wales on visual and landscape impacts, a report for planners saying: “The proposal, however, is recognised as bringing significant benefits in terms of removing a building which is causing harm to the National Park landscape at present, given its significant dilapidation and disrepair.”

The vacant derelict former motel – dubbed an “eyesore” in previous applications – closed back in 2008 and has a history of later approved planning schemes, including as a bespoke hotel and an affordable housing scheme, but none have come to fruition.

Speaking at the May meeting, applicant Nick Neumann, who has become a county councillor since the scheme was first mooted, said: “The former Rochgate Motel located at the gateway to the St Davids Peninsula on the A487 is somewhat famous for the wrong reasons as it remains one of the last true blots on our county’s landscape. Namely the ‘pink palace’ has remained dormant for nearly 20 years slowly deteriorating in condition whilst various proposals have come forward and never materialised.

“The site, originally a former World War 2 radar station which became a commercial premises including motel, restaurant, spa and events facility in the early 1960s, was a much-loved popular venue for nearly 50 years before closing its doors in 2008.

“Today we still receive comments from people who loved the motel back in the day. I myself can fondly remember visits with my late parents, and I wouldn’t mind betting that at least one person at this meeting today would have memories of a visit to the motel. The motel was an institution back then and with your approval, will become once again.”

He added: “The scheme (aptly named ‘The Gate’) will include the reinstatement of a bistro style restaurant, a village shop (an asset lost from our community within the last two years), an events space, and a modest tourism development, all just a stone’s throw from Newgale sands, and six miles from our county town.

“The proposal will bring a significant multi-million-pound investment into the community, create 18 FTE jobs, restore lost community provisions, and will see the revitalisation of the brownfield site with a new exciting provision to our growing community of Roch.”

He finished: “We have in principle funding agreed by the Development Bank of Wales, and in principle grant funding agreed by Visit Wales. Our intention would be to start the development as soon as conditions were discharged, with a fully committed phasing plan in place commencing with the demolition of all existing buildings and the planting of new landscaping.”

Other speakers at the meeting raised their support for the proposals, with former community council chair, and chair of the Nolton and Roch community Land Trust, David Smith saying an ad-hoc survey of local residents had seen more than 120 supportive responses in just a few days.

He contrasted two previous granted, but never implemented, schemes for “an ugly replacement motel” and an “ill-conceived housing development” with the current scheme, which includes a replacement post office; the former post office indirectly closing in part due to the Horizon Post Office scandal, where many postmasters were wrongfully convicted as a result of faults in accounting software developed by Fujitsu for Horizon.

He said the scheme would “significantly enhance the convenience and wellbeing of local residents,” as well as creating jobs and would “replace a decaying eyesore that is a blight on the community”.

Current community council chair Michael Harries also spoke, saying the community has been “tarnished by a pink monstrosity eyesore” since the motel closed in 2008.

He contrasted the “false hopes” of previous schemes with Mr Neuman’s plans, saying residents had waited for a long time for a suitable development and were “excited to see this project progress”.

Moving approval, Cllr Simon Hancock said he was “really, really delighted” to do so, saying it would be a “huge economic benefit” for the area, with Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall seconding the “fantastic way forward,” along with Cllr Chris Williams in support, who said: “I can’t believe it’s been so long, it has been an eyesore, I’m absolutely delighted something is going to come out of this.”

The application was conditionally approved.