Cllr Tom Tudor: Leads call for action over unused car parks

A CAR PARK costing over £858,000 to construct has been ‘lying idle since construction was completed in January 2011’. The future of the car park was raised at the latest Cabinet meeting by Pembrokeshire County Council yesterday (Oct 3), with Cllr Tom Tudor calling for a compulsory purchase order of the land.

In his supporting statement, Cllr Tudor said: “I call on Pembrokeshire County Council to compulsory purchase the unused car park adjacent to Foley House which was constructed and completed in January 2011 with tax payers funding.”

Having received considerable investment from Pembrokeshire County Council (£335k), along with grant aid from Heritage Lottery Fund (£230k), Welsh Assembly Government (£191k), and Cadw (£100k), the original purpose of the project was to provide car parking spaces to those who own properties on the left of High Street, Haverfordwest – which back onto the car park.

Built on derelict land owned by various property owners on High Street and Market Street, ownership of the 43-bay car park was left to these businesses in the form of a trust. The plan, to allow the trust to allocate parking bays amongst them in an ‘amicable and professional manner’, failed to materialise and, as a result, the car park remains entirely unused.

Cllr Tudor added: “It’s also important to note there has been no effort to maintain the links between the properties on High Street and the car park itself.”

Cllr Tudor also made reference to previous motions he had raised regarding the car park in June 2014 and in 2012.
Responding to Cllr Tudor, Cllr Keith Lewis admitted that the future of the car park had ‘been allowed to drift’, although admitted there would be a ‘significant amount of money involved’ in a compulsory purchase order.

Cllr Lewis continued: “I’m not entirely convinced that in owning the land we will meet the criteria of the monies involved.”

Leader of the Council, Cllr James Llewellyn Adams, added: “There is no budget to consider this matter… The council has already invested £336k in this scheme.”

Complicating matters further is the adjacent property of Foley House. Described by Cllr Simon Hancock as ‘one of the jewels of Haverfordwest’, Foley House is currently owned and for sale by Pembrokeshire County Council.

Immediately behind the historic listed building is a piece of land forming the gardens and car park of the property; however, to access to this means travelling over a small section of the newly built car park entrance.

As Cllr Hancock pointed out, this shared access along with ongoing issues with the new car park could be a factor in why no one has purchased Foley House in the past.

Cllr Hancock said: “It is part of the wider issue of the future of Foley House itself.”

The gardens and car park of Foley House have also been unused since the property was put on the market in 2003 which led onto Cllr Tudor’s second motion; to allow local residents to park in the property’s grounds.

In his second supporting statement, he said: “To date, Foley House has not been purchased, as such I call on Pembrokeshire County Council to reopen the car park and allow the local residents of Goat Street, Hermons Hill and Hill Lane to utilise the car park, operating the council’s residents parking permit policy.”

The car park had been open to local residents prior to Foley House being advertised for sale.

While Foley House has fallen into considerable disrepair, the council remains eager to sell the property, meaning Cllr Tudor’s second motion to allow resident permit parking was denied. A project is also underway to examine the costs affiliated with restoring Foley House in an effort to entice potential buyers.

Meanwhile the future of the newly built car park was subjected to further legal advice regarding a potential compulsory purchase, the deadline for which was set as November 30.