News

St Davids: Premier Inn plans approved

Published

7 years ago

June 6, 2018

THE APPLICATION for a Premier Inn Hotel and other homes in St Davids has been delegated to National Park officers to approve after members of the Development Management Committee gave their support.

The Committee met at a packed Ty’r Pererin Hall on Quickwell Hill in St Davids today (Jun 6).

Members of the YoPI (Yes to Premier Inn) and NoPI (No to Premier Inn) campaigns were also in attendance and gave their views to the committee.

The plans will see the hotel, 38 affordable homes and 32 open market dwellings built on land at Glasfryn Lane.

St Davids County Councillor David Lloyd said: “Prior to the interest of Premier Inn to locate in St Davids the homes were to have been developed by the St Davids Peninsula Community Land Trust, following seven years of preparatory work, with a view to employing the profits from the sale of the open market homes to match fund the replacement of the local swimming pool closed in 2009.

“The controversy surrounding Premier Inn’s interest, however, resulted in the Community Land Trust having to withdraw from the project causing the plans to create a new pool to be abandoned. Fortunately, the badly needed provision of affordable housing for local people remains part of the application. It is in my view imperative that these homes are built.

“Ysgol Dewi Sant’s School roll dropped from over 500 pupils to as few as 390 in 2016. As is well known, in January 2016, the school was scheduled for closure. It narrowly survived, but at the price of losing its sixth form. In my view it is unthinkable that the chance of underpinning the school’s future should not now be grasped.

“With regard to the Premier Inn element of the application, notwithstanding the blow of losing what in my view will be the only chance of replacing the pool, I support the application.

“The 63 new bedrooms would serve to replace the 55 2/3-star hotel rooms that have been lost in recent years following the closure of Whitesands Bay Hotel, St Nons Hotel, Glan Y Mor Hotel and the change in status of Twr Y Felin Hotel. In my view St Davids is seriously under provided for in mid-range hotel accommodation, a view shared by Keith Griffiths, proprietor of what is now the five-star Twr Y Felin.

“The experience of Tenby, which is wholly reliant on tourism, as is St Davids, has shown that the arrival of Premier Inn has been a major boost to trade in both the accommodation and retail sector. I am confident the same will apply to St Davids.

“Finally I turn to the question of the nature of the joint application. While it would not be accurate to say that Premier Inn is enabling the provision of housing within the joint project it would be fair to say that by sharing the significant cost of the various site surveys and the cost of planning application itself, it has made possible the almost unique proportion of affordable houses, some 54%, that make up the housing element of this application. It is a remarkable opportunity for the St Davids Peninsula and indeed for the Park and one too great to lose.”

Cllr Paul Harries felt that the application could have been better than what it was while other members were concerned about the hotel being three stories high.

Cllr Phil Baker said he was concerned about the need for 63 beds and questioned why it had to be three-storey.

Mr Ted Sangster moved that the recommendation to delegate to officers be approved and that was seconded by Cllr Peter Morgan.

Cllr Mike Evans also sought assurances that the first lot of rented homes should go to local people.
The application was approved unanimously.

The decision was met with applause by some members of the audience.

Following the decision, Cllr Lloyd added: “I felt that the meeting was conducted fairly and everybody had the opportunity to give their views and this was acknowledged by members of the committee and the outcome was one that I very much support.”

Charity

Over 1,100 festive bathers enjoy Tenby’s famous Boxing Day Swim

Published

11 hours ago

December 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

A RECORD-BREAKING number of 1,150 festive bathers have had a splashing time in the Tenby Boxing Day Swim this morning.

The fancy dress theme of Superheroes – in tribute to the RNLI in its 200th anniversary year – saw Batman, The Incredibles, Wonderwoman and a whole crew of emergency services dashing into the chilly water of Tenby’s North Beach.

RNLI mascot Stormy Stan was there amongst the huge crowds to cheer the brave bathers on their way.
The swim will be one to remember forever for one duo of dippers as they got engaged following a surprise proposal on the sand.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Philip Frith, 34, made one of his best-ever moves when he popped the question to his girlfriend, former professional dancer Victoria Tansey, 34, who is originally from Hakin.

Said swim chairman Sam Skyrme-Blackhall: “”Well, we said ‘come to the Tenby Boxing Day Swim and take the plunge’ but we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the happy couple”.
The swim has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for charities and good causes in its 52-year history, and this yeae’s event will see Tenby RNLI as the main beneficiary.

Town mayor Dai Morgan said: ”It’s great to see so many people from here, and for such a good cause. I just love it down on the beach on Boxing Day. The swim is such a fantastic tradition.”
The mayor’s daughter, 18-year-old Erin Morgan, who is Tenby’s town crier, gave a special ‘cry’ to welcome the swim.

Swim chairman Sam supervised 10-year-old Sam Fecci as he fired the swim’s starting pistol – a duty usually carried out by his dad, Stuart, who was not well enough to attend.

Festive tunes and a lively commentary from DJ Steve Briers ramped up the atmosphere on the beach and swimmers emerged from the sea to be presented with commemorative medals and warm up with hot soup donated by the Giltar Hotel and served up by Tenby and District Lions.

‘Taking the plunge’ at a festive swim in Wales this morning meant more than just a dip in the sea for one happy couple.

As hundreds of Boxing Day bathers at the legendary event in Tenby dashed for the water, a magical moment was happening between Victoria Tansey and Philip Frith.
Philip, 34, went down on one knee on the sand and asked Victoria, 37, to marry him.

Fortunately, she said an ecstatic ‘yes’ to the carefully-planned proposal, which saw the couple’s special song Ocean Eyes y Billie Eilish sound out over the beach as the newly-engaged couple celebrated with a splash in the sea.

As a former Royal Marine Philip – who is now a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach – has faced some scary situations in his life but the Boxing Day proposal was up there with the most nail-biting.
“I’ve been so nervous/special moment.

Victoria, originally from Hakin, Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, worked as a professional dancer – appearing on the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Pineapple Dance Studio: Survival of the Fittest -and before setting up her own entertainment agency.

Although now living in Guildford with Philip, she has always loved returning to her Pembrokeshire roots

“When we first met, Victoria couldn’t wait to show me all around Pembrokeshire and we have made the trip as often as work would allow us, to visit her family, go beach hopping and take in the breathtaking scenery,” said Philip.

“I absolutely love sea swimming, I believe that it is so worthwhile for your body and mind, however Victoria has never been one to enjoy the cold!

“So, on our first Christmas together as a couple, Victoria surprised me by taking me to Tenby for the Boxing Day Swim – it’s honestly one of my most fond memories from the start of our relationship!

“I wanted to return her the favour of surprising her by proposing to her at this year’s swim.”

Victoria’s mum and her childhood best friend , Sean Griffiths – who she set up Milford Haven’s Unison Dance Group with in 2004 –were on the beach to watch the proposal, with Sean bringing along the engagement ring in his pocket to fellow swimmers crowded round to congratulate Victoria and Philip, and swim chairman Sam Skyrme-Blackhall laughed: “Well, we said ‘come to the Tenby Boxing Day Swim and take the plunge’ but we weren’t expecting that! Congratulations to the happy couple”.

Charity

Letterston dog show raises over £750 for local charities

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

ON SUNDAY (Dec 22), Letterston Ring Craft successfully raised £755.55 for two Pembrokeshire-based charities during a fun dog show event. The funds were equally split between South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue and Letterston Memorial Hall.

The event featured a variety of well-attended classes, including child handling and fancy dress, drawing participation from dog enthusiasts of all levels.

This fundraiser marked the first charitable event supporting South Pembrokeshire Cat Rescue. Founded and managed by Lizzy Austwick, the rescue organisation aids unwanted, feral, and sick cats across Pembrokeshire and responds to urgent cases in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion. The rescue provides neutering support for stray and feral cats, directs owners to available resources, and specialises in helping stray cats with severe injuries, raising essential funds for their care.

For assistance, Lizzy can be contacted via the rescue’s Facebook page or at 07575 131443.

Letterston Ring Craft welcomes new members interested in training and showing their dogs, from local companion shows to prestigious events like Crufts. The club meets every other Sunday in Letterston, and further details can be found on their Facebook page.

Looking ahead, the next fun dog show is scheduled for early next year and will support Belle’s Story Charity. For more information or to get involved, contact Gentle Lowe at 07956 653401.

Charity

£3,800 donated to services across Withybush Hospital

Published

1 day ago

December 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE CAMROSE VINTAGE WORKING DAY team has donated £3,800 to services across Withybush Hospital.

Their 37^th annual event raised a record breaking £25,000, which has now been distributed among 26 local charities.

They donated the funds to the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit and Heads Up! Hair Loss Initiative at Withybush Hospital. Each service received £950.

The Heads Up! initiative provides a person-centred, holistic hair loss service for cancer patients. It brings together healthcare and haircare professionals from local communities to give patients the knowledge and products needed to manage their hair loss with dignity and choice.

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer, said: “Thank you to Andrew, the team and the supporters of the Camrose Vintage Working Day for your generosity once again. Your donation to each service is amazing and will make a big difference. We are hugely grateful for your wonderful support.

“The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”

Pictured above: Andrew James, Chairman of Camrose Vintage Working Day with Withybush Hospital staff from the Stroke Ward, Specialist Respiratory Team, Chemo Day Unit, Heads Up! Hair Loss initiative.