News
Haverfordwest: Car park cost public £858k

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.
News
Pembrokeshire residents can quickly check symptoms for variety of conditions on NHS 111 Wales online

NHS 111 Wales online symptom checker can save Pembrokeshire patients time by helping them find the right NHS service for treatment. Symptoms can be quickly checked for a variety of conditions and advice given on the best way to treat them by visiting www.111.wales.nhs.uk which is hosted by the Welsh Ambulance Service.
The way we access NHS services has changed as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with more options now becoming increasingly utilised, including the NHS 111 Wales online service which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It can be used for both health information and advice and to access urgent primary care in Welsh and English.
In a recent YouGov survey, a third of Pembrokeshire residents had not even heard of the NHS 111 Wales online symptom checker and only 19% had used it during the past 12 months.
Andrew Carruthers, Director of Operations at Hywel Dda University Health Board, said: “We are asking everyone to help us by reconsidering the way you access NHS services. The methods available have changed but we are still here for you. It is worth getting to know the different ways you can access the NHS so you can be seen and treated quicker with your first port of call being NHS 111 Wales.”
According to the YouGov survey, carried out for the Welsh Government’s Keep Wales Safe campaign, only 67% of Pembrokeshire residents had heard of the NHS 111 Wales online symptom checker. However, 86% said they felt it was important to have access to the service.
NHS 111 Wales online can help if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do. The way it works is: You answer questions about your symptoms on the website and depending on the situation you will:
- Get self-care advice
- Be told how to get any medicine you need
- Find out what local service can help you
- Be connected to a nurse, emergency dentist, pharmacist or GP
- Get a face-to-face appointment if you need one
- Be given an arrival time if you need to go to A&E – this might mean you spend less time in A&E
For those who don’t have confidence going online to seek advice, there is the NHS 111 Wales phone service. This is also a free service where patients can contact the NHS by dialling 111 to receive advice on the best way to manage their issue or gain further assistance if needed. The bilingual telephone service is available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Eighty-four percent of Pembrokeshire residents had heard of the NHS 111 Wales phone service when asked for the recent YouGov survey but only 20% had used the telephone service during the last 12 months.
News
Trial date for son accused of killing mum

THE SON of Judith Rhead, 68, who was found dead in her home in Market Street, Pembroke Dock on Feb 20 will now appear in Crown Court again in October.
Dale Morgan, 43, said to be a scout master, appeared in court only to confirm his name, date of birth and address – which was listed as Honeyborough Green, Neyland.
A plea and trial preparation hearing date was set for March 26 with a provisional trial date set for October 4.
He was remanded in custody.
In court papers it stated that the alleged murder took place between December 10, 2020 and February 21, 2021.
The paperwork demonstrates that the police are unsure of the exact date that Ms Rhead died. The large date range, two months, points to the likelihood that this will be a challenging case for all those involved.
News
Launch of Haverfordwest Castle Conservation Management Plan

MEMBERS of the public are being asked to help shape the future of Haverfordwest Castle as a draft Conservation Management Plan (CMP) is launched.
One of Pembrokeshire’s most important historical assets, the Castle is owned by Pembrokeshire County Council, which has produced the CMP.
The plan:
▪ sets out the significance of the castle and describes how the building will be protected with any new use, alteration, repair or management;
▪ will help with the planning of maintenance, conservation and repair work and adaptation of the site to meet new or changing uses;
▪ will help promote understanding of the site and look at improving public access and activities for local people and visitors;
▪ will support proposals to conserve the castle and adaptations of the site in response to climate change;
▪ and underpin funding applications to support improvements
An engagement exercise has been launched alongside the Plan, giving members of the public with an interest in the historic and/or environmental significance of the castle an opportunity to comment on the document and share their views.
To take part in the engagement exercise, please click on the following link:
https://haveyoursay.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/regeneration-communities
The deadline for responses is Sunday, March 28, 2021.
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