Upgrade at Bridge Innovation Centre aims to give local businesses faster, more reliable and scalable digital infrastructure

PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL and Welsh broadband provider Ogi have invested in a major full fibre upgrade at Pembroke Dock’s Bridge Innovation Centre, in a move aimed at supporting business growth and strengthening the county’s digital infrastructure.

The project, announced under embargo until Thursday (Apr 16), replaces the site’s ageing legacy connection with a dedicated business-grade full fibre network designed to meet the needs of modern companies.

A high-capacity symmetrical core connection has been installed, supported by a secondary fibre route to improve resilience. The upgrade is intended to give businesses based at the centre the reliability and capacity they increasingly need as standard.

Ogi engineers said that the job took around two and a half weeks, and represented a major project for the installation team.

Full fibre has also been extended throughout the building, with each office now able to access its own dedicated connection. This means businesses can increase their internet speeds as they expand, without the need for further building work or disruption.

Ogi Chief Executive Officer Sally-Anne Skinner said: “Digital infrastructure shouldn’t be something businesses have to worry about. It needs to be dependable, flexible and ready to grow when they are. That’s exactly what we’ve put in place here.”

The new network has also been built with security and resilience in mind. Managed firewall protection, intelligent traffic management and round-the-clock monitoring have been introduced to help keep services secure and performing effectively, while battery backup systems will protect critical equipment during power interruptions.

Shared spaces within the Innovation Centre have also benefited from improved connectivity, with new high-performance WiFi designed to cope with busy working days, events and collaborative use throughout the building.

Pembrokeshire County Council said the investment is about more than simply improving internet speeds. It is also intended to ensure the Bridge Innovation Centre continues to meet the changing needs of businesses at different stages of development.

Peter Lord, the council’s Principal Officer for Business Development, said: “What businesses tell us they value most is confidence. They want to know the infrastructure around them won’t limit their plans – and this investment gives them that reassurance.”

The council believes the upgrade will help strengthen Pembrokeshire’s appeal as a base for ambitious firms looking to grow sustainably while remaining rooted in the local area.

Sally-Anne added: “When the right infrastructure is already in place, it makes staying and growing locally a much easier decision. That’s how you support long-term economic growth – by giving businesses what they need from day one.”

Ogi said the installation forms part of a wider programme to support business communities across Wales through full fibre networks and managed services designed for long-term use in real working environments.

Photo caption:

Bridge Innovation Centre in Pembroke Dock has received a major full fibre connectivity upgrade (Pic: Supplied).

Henry Tufnell backs DARC radar scheme as First Minister calls for plans to be halted over concerns about the USA

A LABOUR split has emerged over the proposed Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability project at Brawdy, with Henry Tufnell MP publicly backing the scheme after First Minister Eluned Morgan called for it to be paused.

Mr Tufnell said the DARC project could be a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” for Pembrokeshire, after Ms Morgan argued that the AUKUS-linked development should be halted while the United States is proving to be an unreliable ally.

The proposed Ministry of Defence scheme would see 27 large parabolic radar dishes installed at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy, to track satellites and space debris in high Earth orbit. The Pembrokeshire site would form part of a wider joint programme involving the UK, the USA and Australia.

Ms Morgan, who is Labour’s candidate for Ceredigion Penfro as well as First Minister, had said the plan should be paused in light of what she described as Donald Trump’s hostility towards the UK and concerns over American foreign policy.

But Mr Tufnell, the Labour MP for Mid and South Pembrokeshire, has now struck a very different tone, saying the scheme could bring jobs, investment and long-term benefits to the county.

In a statement issued on Tuesday (Apr 15), he said: “I’m concerned that the First Minister appears to not want the local jobs and economic growth on a project that is unlikely to be operational until after the Trump administration.”

He added: “Our community here in Pembrokeshire has always played a pivotal role in the UK’s defence and the DARC project represents the next chapter in our proud heritage.”

Mr Tufnell said he was working closely with Ministry of Defence officials to make sure local views were taken into account as the plans move forward.

He said: “I am working closely with MoD officials to ensure the views and concerns of local residents are fully heard and addressed. Any environmental and public health concerns must be addressed while delivering genuine, tangible benefits for local workers and the wider community.”

He also backed the wider UK Government position on defence investment, adding: “The UK Government is resolute on using defence to keep our country safe and revitalise the industrial heartlands of our United Kingdom.”

The differing positions expose a clear divide within Labour over one of the most significant proposed developments in Pembrokeshire in recent years.

The pre-application consultation on the Brawdy scheme has now ended, with the Ministry of Defence expected to submit a formal planning application to Pembrokeshire County Council.

Senedd candidate Nerys Evans says west Wales has been left behind for too long as party renews call for rail investment

PLAID CYMRU has pledged to press ahead with plans to reopen a railway station in St Clears if it forms the next Welsh Government after the Senedd election on Thursday (May 7).

The proposal to restore a station in the Carmarthenshire town, which lost its rail link in the 1960s, was first announced in 2020. But despite years of campaigning and political pressure, the scheme has yet to be delivered.

Nerys Evans, one of Plaid Cymru’s candidates in Carmarthenshire, said communities in west Wales had repeatedly missed out on their fair share of transport investment.

In its manifesto published earlier this month, Plaid Cymru said it would improve rail links across the west of Wales. The party has also repeated its demand for rail powers to be devolved to Wales and for what it says is Wales’ full share of HS2 funding.

Plaid argues that Wales is owed £4 billion after HS2 was classified as an “England and Wales” project, despite no part of the line between Birmingham and London being in Wales.

Speaking near the proposed site of the new station, Ms Evans said Carmarthenshire had every right to feel overlooked.

She said: “There is often a feeling in Carmarthenshire that we are not getting our fair share of funding, and that is absolutely justified. Too often, Wales gets very little, and west Wales even less.

“Plaid Cymru has continuously campaigned for our fair share of rail investment in west Wales, and in government we will ensure fair treatment for communities like St Clears.

“We have outlined how a Plaid Cymru government would bring forward plans to develop our rail infrastructure in the west, including in St Clears, even as we fight for the funding and powers that Wales deserves.

“It is so important that Wales has a government after the election on Thursday (May 7) that is really willing to stand up for its people and communities in order to demand the money and powers that are owed to us, not only when it comes railways, but many other policy areas too.”

The pledge forms part of Plaid Cymru’s wider transport offer ahead of the Senedd election, with the party seeking to make improved rail links a key issue for rural and west Wales communities.

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Station pledge: Plaid Cymru Senedd candidate Nerys Evans near the proposed site of the new St Clears railway station (Pic: Supplied).