News

£10m Lifeboat Station months from completion

Published

9 years ago

February 29, 2016

St Davids’ new station (foreground): And old station (background)

ST DAVIDS’ RNLI new Lifeboat Station at St Justinian’s head is now only months away from being completed. Held up by a windy Winter, momentum is building.

The city currently has two stations and operate two All-weather life boats the Tyne-Class and their new Tamar-class lifeboat. The oldest of the two stations has been running for 140 years with the most recent for the last century.

Station Coxwain, Dai John, explained that the two lifeboats are currently needed as the new high-tech Tamar vessel, which is currently being modified in Poole, can only be moored up off the coast, which when conditions are exceptionally rough could see the lifeboat become untethered and destroyed on the cliffs.

The current set up for the North County station is to, move the ship into safer harbours further south like Milford Haven and Neyland when bad weather is forecast. To keep the station going 24/7 they were allowed to keep housing the 28-year veteran Tyne class.

The new station will permanently house the Tamar boat as well as many other state-of-the-art facilities. St Davids RNLI was the last of those in Pembrokeshire to receive a newly constructed or upgraded station.

Undertaken by Bam Nuttall, work on the station was started in June 2014, with many members of contracted staff having worked on previous similar jobs across the country with the company.

Site manager Rhodri Jenkins, who tallies St Davids as his 4th station said: “This was one of the more awkward sites to work on, we’ve had to squeeze the station into a very narrow space.”

Rhodri used the cliff line as an example showing the sheeted rock. he explained: “That sort of rock can easily collapse or slide, so we had to put up this netting and cross-anchor the rock to prevent it happening.”

The site has already had the concrete station foundation stilts laid, the base level put in place and the steel slip stilts bored and placed which are now supporting the extra long slip.

The new slipway, extends further than the current one which will tackle the current issue St Davids’ RNLI faces of retrieving their vessel once launched. Although their current set up and launch 24/7 Dai explained: The issue is once we have returned, at low tide we have to wait a couple of hours before we can winch the boat up.”

The new station has been built with laminated-layered wooden beams which will be exposed upon completion and will last for over 100 years, Rhodri said: “Over the life of the station this style is very cost effective over steel, which others use, that are constantly fighting the elements needing parts cutting out and replaced.”

“With a mixture of the exposed beams and the under floor heating the station will have a very ambient atmosphere.”

The station utilises a method of harnessing sea water to create heat, Rhodri described how the system sucks water through pipework into the station at around 12 degrees with goes through a system which takes maybe four degrees and deposits the 8 degree water back.

“This sustainable heating is an alternative to having a large bore hole to create heat, which is often used.” He said.

The new premises will have full disability access including an internal lift, toilets and a tram system from headland to the front door following the steps.

The station will also join the ranks of few other stations which harbours their in-shore life boat within the same building. With its own indoor garage the in-shore rib, can be lowered to sea level via crane 24/7 to immediately attend incidents within a closer proximity that the all-weather boat needn’t be called out to attend.

Dai noted that all 26 volunteers live within a very short drive of St Justinian’s, which is vital to the rapid response they provide he said: “Our volunteers need to be able to get here in time for launch, which currently is about 10 minutes on the rib and 12 to release the all-weather boat”

According to Dai one of the major benefits will be to the crew facilities for the 28 team members of which two are permanent and 26 are volunteer, he stated: “At the moment we have meeting in the top of the station which has no wall space and is built into the roof so it’s all curved.”

The new design has a large crew designated room which will allow in house training and meetings to take place, he said: “We are lucky that St Davids fire department are letting us use their training room at the moment while we are running day and evening first aid courses.”

Rhodri explained that the whole project at St Davids will cost just shy of £10m by the time it is completed and also said that he expects the usable floor space to be three or four times more than they currently have.

In response to what might happen with the old site, which neighbours the new-build, Dai said: “It was put on the market a little time a go to see if there was any interest, but the future of the station is unclear at the moment.”

The work being done on the new station is heavily dependant on the large crane which is being used to move goods between the mainland and the stilted site, which according to Rhodri has had some trouble with the Winter weather.

Rhodri stated: “The crane cannot operate when winds are 30mph of above so since November lots of the work has been mopping up rather than moving forward.”

“We have been lucky enough to get days where we can move large quantities of what we’re going to need down onto the station which does make up for bad weather that follows.”

Despite the weather, the station’s shape can be already seen, and from the ground floor of the station which will be used solely for crew, the true size of the facility can be appreciated. Rhodri expects completion to be only months away.

Dai said the crew has pencilled in launch tests for June 2016, and they expect the site to be fully transitioned by September this year.

The RNLI rely almost solely on donations from the public as at present only 2% of their total funding comes from government sources.

The work they do has already saved over 140,000 lives nation wide, and the service they provide is made more vital in our county due to Pembrokeshire’s peninsula formation as well as the growing popularity of water sports and the 186mile coastal path.

Dai added: “We are so appreciative of the national and local support for the RNLI, last year we launched a fund raiser in St Davids which had fantastic response.”

For more details on the RNLI, the work they do, and how to donate go to:www.rnli.org

News

Pembrokeshire loses out as Labour ‘rewards its heartlands’

Published

5 hours ago

December 11, 2024

Jon Coles

THE HEADLINE figure is an average rise in Welsh local authority budgets by 4.3%. Every Welsh rural council got less than that.

From Monmouthshire in the east to Anglesey in the north to Pembrokeshire in the west, the funding bonanza trumpeted by the Welsh Government as part of the best financial settlement since devolution turned into a damp, wet fart. No rural authority got the average settlement; only Carmarthenshire came close with a 4.1 increase. Meanwhile, Labour councils in the Valleys and metropolitan areas all experienced above-average rises in Welsh Government funding.

**Not impressed: Pembrokeshire’s Sam Kurtz MS has blasted the Welsh Government**

Local MS Sam Kurtz said, “It’s clear that the Welsh Labour Government is looking after their heartlands first and foremost as we run up to the Senedd election and is ignoring the needs of others.

“Delivering services in rural areas costs more; it’s the rural premium, but for the Welsh Labour Government to ignore this shows them at their worst.

“Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire county councils are asked to do more and more. It’s only right that they are supported correctly to deliver those services. Sadly, this provisional settlement falls well short of what is required.”

WG “TAKING PEMBROKESHIRE PUBLIC FOR FOOLS”

***County Councillor Aled Thomas JP says Labour is taking the Pembrokeshire public for fools***

Pembrokeshire Conservative county councillor Aled Thomas said: “Labour is taking the Pembrokeshire public for fools, claiming that today’s announcement is good for Pembrokeshire when the reality is that our rural communities are being left behind once again.

“Labour is giving with one hand and taking away with the other, with a significant proportion of this additional money already spent on increased national insurance contributions.

“Pembrokeshire’s Labour cabinet member for finance must now commit that this money will be spent on core services and not wasted on vanity projects as we have seen time and again in the county.”

Whether Josh Beynon, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, rises to that challenge remains to be seen. Our request for a response to the Welsh Government’s funding settlement for Pembrokeshire was refused.

SETTLEMENT SHOWS WHERE LOYALTIES LIE

The Independent Group was not as shy.

“The Welsh Government settlement lays bare where their true loyalties lie and the battleground for Senedd 2026 where Labour will concentrate their resources on protecting their established strongholds at all costs. “They may deny it, but that’s the appearance with healthier WG settlements of above 5% for Cardiff, Newport and Merthyr compared to 3.6% for Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Anglesey and even less for Gwynedd at 3.2%. Inflation is currently at 2.3%, meaning the real increase for Pembrokeshire is around 1.3%, and higher inflation over the next few months will erode the value of this settlement further.

“Furthermore, all local authorities are currently having to accept the consequence of the Chancellor’s rise of National Insurance, with Mark Drakeford revealing that there will be no decision from the UK government on NI compensation for public sector employers until May 2025, meaning much of the additional AEF will have already been swallowed up, a decision that needs to be taken sooner rather than later many would suggest.”

CONSULTATION UNDERWAY

The Independent Group spokesperson continued: “Today launches six weeks of formal consultation on the settlement for 2024-25, ending on Friday, January 24, 2025.

“We hope that the current administration will use this process to articulate the concerns of many, that the settlement is not sufficient to cover the financial pressure faced by Pembrokeshire and argue for additional support, even if targeted towards areas of significant concern such as Social Care.

“The reality for us in Pembrokeshire is that providing the services our residents expect and rightly deserve has just become a lot more difficult with this settlement, which can only be described as disappointing.

“As a direct result of this AEF settlement, we will inevitably face a higher than wished-for Council Tax rise in April 2025, and much of the responsibility will sit with Cardiff.

“Pembrokeshire has the joint highest second home council tax in Wales, and we will almost certainly increase the level of tax on empty homes. Many of us in County Hall cannot be accused of shirking tough decisions that best serve our residents.

“We have significant Social Care pressures, which is a common theme across all Welsh local authorities. We have many schools falling into deficit, with Ysgol y Preseli, Milford Haven & Greenhill in dire need of a total overhaul to provide the facilities our young deserve. We hope that the Welsh Government will see fit to allocate Pembrokeshire a generous element of the £1.04bn for the capital grant they have provisionally allocated in this settlement for all of Wales. The continuation of the 40% business relief for tourism, hospitality and leisure businesses is welcomed for an industry that employs 23% of our working population.

COUNCIL TAX AFFORDABILITY CRUCIAL

“The Independent Group will focus on the need to protect essential services whilst addressing the ability of hard-pressed households to afford further Council Tax rises next April.

“In a week when the local authority, partner agencies, and many volunteers have stood up to Storm Darragh’s challenges, the least our residents deserved was more bad news with today’s Welsh Government settlement for Pembrokeshire.

“Storm Darragh’s impact highlighted the need for careful management of Council reserves. Using up reserves cannot continue year on year. Therefore, any proposal for their future use must be carefully considered before we can support it. Once used, these reserves are not available for future eventualities.

“Without additional support, this settlement will result in even higher Council tax bills in four months.”

The spokesperson concluded: “As the largest opposition group within County Hall, we will hold this administration to account in the forthcoming weeks and months prior to setting the Council Tax for 2025/26. We will be critical friends in this task and will not shirk from asking difficult questions.”

Crime

Dozens of alleged litter offenders to face court in Haverfordwest

Published

12 hours ago

December 11, 2024

Tom Sinclair

HAVERFORDWEST MAGISTRATES’ COURT will hear a series of littering cases tomorrow, with individuals from across Pembrokeshire and beyond accused of offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The cases primarily involve cigarette butts being dropped and left in public spaces, with locations spanning Pembroke Dock, Haverfordwest, Tenby, Milford Haven, and other towns.

The following individuals are set to appear:

Nathan Abbott, 30, of Hakin, Milford Haven
Alex Austin, 49, of Malvern, Worcestershire
Tim Benfan, 36, of Rugby, Warwickshire
Anthony Bevan, 39, of Pembroke
Melissa Bevan, 43, of Pembroke
Arron Bridges, 23, of Crundale, Haverfordwest
Daniel Brooks, 38, of Tenby
Dale Brown, 38, of Milford Haven
Stephen Charkes, 62, of Llanelli
John Cotton, 60, of Ledbury, Herefordshire
Chaves De Oliveria, 24, of London
James William Gwyn Dewhurst, 38, of Haverfordwest
Kevin Filer, 66, of Milford Haven
Barry Frost, 64, of Bradford, West Yorkshire
Andrew Griffiths, 41, of Aberdare
Robert Jeffrey Hamblin, 42, of Pembroke
Victoria Hodgson, 34, of Pembroke
Gerald Maddocks, 40, of Haverfordwest
Deana Sophia Mead, 31, of Milford Haven
Jacqueline Niblett, 63, of Hengoed
Micheal Raymond, 55, of Cowbridge
Shaun Tuxker, 38, of Haverfordwest
Liam Unsworth, 27, of Narberth
Shaun Manche, 41, of Milford Haven
Chelsea McLaren, 29, of Narberth
Marian Radoi, 40, of Haverfordwest
Leah Reynolds, 31, of Haverfordwest
James Stewart, 44, of Pembroke Dock
Andrew Stokes, 53, of Stourport-on-Severn
Nicola Wilkins, 48, of Swansea
Rhys R Williams, 24, of Tonyrefail
Ryan Williams, 45, of Swansea
John Wright, 41, of Pembroke Dock

Each case involves allegations of littering, primarily cigarette butts, in public places such as streets, car parks, and parks across Pembrokeshire. Offenders face maximum penalties of up to £2,500 under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Authorities hope these proceedings will serve as a reminder to the public about the importance of maintaining clean and litter-free communities.

Pictured: Litter enforcement officer in Haverfordwest (Image: File)

News

A475 closed as fire crews respond to west Wales house blaze

Published

13 hours ago

December 11, 2024

Tom Sinclair

EMERGENCY SERVICES are tackling a property fire in Ceredigion, prompting the closure of the A475 Drefach-Rhydowen road.

Dyfed-Powys Police have shut the road between the B4338 (Llanybydder turn-off) and the B4459 (Capel Dewi turn-off) to safeguard the public. Motorists are being urged to avoid the area and use alternative routes.

A police statement shared on Facebook said: “The road is currently closed due to an incident. Please avoid the area and find alternative routes for your journey.”

The Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and the Wales Ambulance Service are on the scene, responding to the incident. Authorities were alerted to the blaze shortly after 2:00pm.

AA Traffic reports indicate significant delays in both directions due to the closure. Drivers are advised to plan ahead and expect delays.

Further updates will follow as the situation develops.

(Image: File)