News

The long-term challenge facing Newgale

Published

10 years ago

April 5, 2015

PM visit: David Cameron visited Newgale last year

DURING the severe storms early last year, the A487 at Newgale was closed for several days when shingle was washed onto the road.

A recent report commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council concluded that the shingle bank will become increasing unstable and vulnerable to failure, with a timescale of 10-20 years over which the current situation may become unsustainable.

The Council therefore instigated a public meeting to discuss the future of the shingle bank at Newgale, which was held at Solva Memorial Hall on February 18. This discussed the stability of the shingle bank and the consequences of any future failure and feedback was welcomed from the public.

A substantial amount of feedback has already been received, and the Council intends to summarise this and provide a public report on this reaction to date.

Head of Highways & Construction at the Council commented: “We have received a huge amount of constructive feedback in response to this initial invite for opinions as to the way forward at Newgale, and thank the public for their widespread and informative comments”.

“The feedback includes comment on the importance of tourism as a key industry in Pembrokeshire and that the road through Newgale is an important link to the St David’s Peninsular, providing one of the iconic viewpoints of the Pembrokeshire coastline”.

“As a response to a number of concerns, it is stressed the Council is not abandoning Newgale. The current shoreline policy identified for Newgale is one of Managed Realignment. This means that Pembrokeshire County Council and Natural Resources Wales, as the risk management authorities for coastal flood and erosion, will implement a managed way forward to minimise, as far as is possible, the impacts of change on the locality.”.

In order to manage any change, the Council will need to appraise all the possible options from retention of the status quo, to the provision of a new road. Funding will also need to be secured, all the requisite statutory consents obtained, and eventually any scheme procured and constructed.

The Cabinet Spokesperson for Environmental and Regulatory Services and the Welsh Language, Cllr Huw George, noted: “Ongoing consultation will be a vital and important strand running through all this work”.

The Council have also had preliminary discussion with National Resources Wales and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.

Coastal flooding or fluvial flooding from a main river such as the Brandy Brook is the responsibility of Natural Resources Wales and so any scheme that affects the Brook will need to be undertaken in partnership with them. Mr. Phillip Pickersgill, the Acting Head of Operations South west Wales, commented:-

newgale “The storms last year highlighted the risks to our coastline and the communities that live there. Indications are that climate change will increase these risks and we need to understand and manage them appropriately. We welcome the opportunity to work with Pembrokeshire County Council in helping communities and the environment adapt to this risk.”

Mr. Tegryn Jones, Chief Executive, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, commented on the actions being taken: “The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority welcomes the proactive lead being taken by Pembrokeshire County Council and Natural Resources Wales to properly consider and address the changing coastline at Newgale”.

“All relevant organisations need to work with local communities to ensure a long-term sustainable solution that takes account of the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of Newgale and the St David’s Peninsula.”

Stephen Crabb MP said: “There is clearly a long-term challenge facing Newgale and the St Davids Peninsula, and there will be some major engineering challenges whatever option is chosen. However, with all the relevant agencies working together there should be no need for knee-jerk responses. We have time to come up with a solution which protects businesses and communities in Newgale and the Peninsula.”

“It was a postive step forward to bring together the Council, Natural Resources Wales and the National Park on Friday to discuss what will happen next. I emphasised the need to involve the local community at every step of the process, to ensure that a solution is reached that protects the village and allows business and tourism to thrive in North Pembrokeshire. It’s also vital that the spectacular view of Newgale beach is protected.”

News

Carmarthenshire takes leading role in latest Celtic Noir – ‘Out There’

Published

10 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Sarah Jane Absalom

Carmarthenshire looks set to take another leading role as the location for ITV’s highly anticipated gritty drama ‘Out There’,

Produced by Buffalo Pictures and starring Martin Clunes, the programme will be aired on January 19.

The news means that Carmarthenshire is fast gaining recognition as a hub for the Celtic Noir genre of filming, and the new six-part thriller joins the many TV and film productions which have been drawn by the county’s dramatic, beguiling landscapes and attractive market towns.

It follows on from the highly acclaimed BBC’s Keeping Faith as well as The Light in the Hall/ Y Golau for Channel 4.

‘Out There’ will showcase Carmarthenshire’s natural beauty against the malice of an insidious crime wave sweeping the British countryside, led by county lines drug dealers and urban gangs that use the countryside as their field of operations. Martin Clunes stars as farmer and single parent, Nathan Williams, who runs a farm which has been in his family for generations.

Many of the filing locations can now be visited by following Discover Carmarthenshire’s new ‘Set Jetter Trail’ which provides insider tips on how best to follow the sometimes eerie paths that many stars have taken around the county.

Crime

Father of baby girl killed in Tenby incident says its been like a ‘horror movie’

Published

11 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Staff Writer

A SIX-MONTH-OLD baby girl has tragically died after her pram was struck by a car in a multi-storey car park in Tenby, Pembrokeshire.

Sophia Kelemen, described as “smiley and bubbly,” suffered catastrophic brain injuries in the collision on Thursday (Jan 2). Despite being airlifted to a Cardiff hospital, the injuries proved fatal.

Sophia’s family, from Greater Manchester, had been on holiday in Wales and were preparing to head home when the incident occurred.

Her father, Alex Kelemen, 27, told the BBC: “Just before we got to the car, the horror movie started.

“It’s been horrific to see our little daughter lying in that hospital bed and going through all those procedures. Everybody loved her—our friends, our family. She’s always going to live in my heart. I know she’s watching over me every day.”

Sophia’s parents now face the heartbreaking task of explaining the tragedy to their five-year-old son, Lucas.

“He’s been asking about his little sister every day,” said Mr Kelemen. “The hardest thing I’ve ever done is explain to him that God loved his sister more than we did. I told him that God gave Sophia a new pair of wings so she could fly above him and protect him.

“There are things I just don’t know how to explain to him. He’s our only child now, and everything we do is for him.”

Family’s heartbreak

Sophia’s aunt, Adriana Kelemen, recounted the devastating events to the Manchester Evening News.

“They were on a short break in Wales with family friends,” she said. “It was their last day. They’d been out, and then they went to the supermarket.

“It happened in the car park. The pram Sophia was in was destroyed.”

Support for devastated family

Fundraising efforts are now underway to support Sophia’s family. Two GoFundMe pages—one in English and one in Romanian—have been launched to cover funeral costs and repatriation expenses. The family plans to bury Sophia in Romania.

Meanwhile, Flaviu Naghi, 33, from Wigan, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, as well as driving without a licence or insurance. He is due to appear at Swansea Crown Court on February 7.

Donations to assist the family can be made via the GoFundMe pages.

Pictured:

Tragic loss: Six-month-old Sophia Kelemen, pictured with dad Alex, died after her pram was hit by a car (Pic: Dyfed-Powys Police)

News

Wales at the forefront of UK drive to ‘turbocharge’ AI

Published

11 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Tom Sinclair

THE FIRST MINISTER OF WALES Eluned Morgan has welcomed today’s announcement from the UK Government of a multi-billion pound investment in Artificial Intelligence.

The UK Opportunities Action Plan, launched by Prime Minister Keir Starmer today, aims to drive economic growth, support public services and use intelligent technology to improve people’s every day lives.

Wales is uniquely placed to benefit from the AI infrastructure plans, with work already underway to develop tech hubs, shared resources and data centres.

As part of the investment announced today, US technology giant Vantage Data Centers plans to invest over £12 billion across the UK, resulting in the creation of over 11,500 jobs. The Welsh Government has been working closely with Vantage since 2020 to support the development of its data centres in Wales.

It is expected that the lion’s share of the new investment from Vantage will be in Wales. The biggest investment will be in Bridgend, where the company plans to develop the former Ford factory site to become one of Europe’s largest data centre campuses.

The First Minister is keen to ensure Wales benefits from the investment in AI, saying:

“Today’s announcement, which includes a multi-billion pound investment in AI by some of the world’s biggest tech companies, is a huge boost in confidence for industry in Wales.

“We are seeing that AI is increasingly being used as a power for good, whether that’s increasing productivity or bringing smarter solutions to everyday problems.

“There can be enormous benefits to the economy in establishing the tech and wider infrastructure here in Wales. Industry leaders recognise that the conditions are right in Wales, with a government that will do what it can to make these plans a reality.

“This won’t happen overnight and it’s important that the infrastructure, data, skills and talent is in place to ensure that we all benefit from these solutions. There’s no question that Wales is in an excellent position to benefit, given the work that’s already in progress here.”

The Economy Secretary Rebecca Evans is leading a review to explore how Wales can capitalise on opportunities and develop Wales’ strengths in the development of AI-based technologies.

Over the past year, the Welsh Government has worked with other organisations to develop guidance to support Welsh public bodies in adopting AI in a responsible, safe and ethical way.

Wales has already seen evidence of the value of AI implementation in diagnostic care in the NHS, with a digital pathology platform for prostate and breast cancer detection led by Betsi Cadwaladr seeing a 13% increase in prostate cancer detection rates.

Estyn, the school inspectorate, is also undertaking a review of the use of Generative AI in schools, which will explore the potential benefits to schools, while also considering the challenges they pose.