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Ambitious councillor calls for the regeneration of Pembrokeshire

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‘IT IS IMPORTANT for us to be ambitious; it’s even more important when the future success of Pembrokeshire depends on the changes we are driving to deliver.’

That’s the view of Cllr Paul Miller, Pembrokeshire’s Cabinet Member for Econony, Tourism, Leisure and Culture, who has made unequivocal his commitment that Pembrokeshire County Council will spearhead a programme of widespread regeneration across the county.

The splendour of Pembrokeshire, its celebrated beaches and its spectacular National Park coastline – the only one of its kind in the UK – cannot be questioned. To many, it is place of unparalleled beauty and the 4.2 million tourists per year are testament to a destination that consistently draws and delights visitors from all over the UK and abroad. But the notion of
Pembrokeshire as a modern business hub that is ripe for investment and development, allied with home-grown, dynamic talent ready to realise this ambition has not been a conversation on many people’s lips…until now.

‘The Regeneration of our County is long overdue. It is my commitment to get the wheels of progress turning in a way that the public are able to see and believe in,’ said Cllr Miller. ‘There has been significant change already during my time as a Cabinet Member, but I accept that’s not been very visible to date. We are perhaps, only now, beginning to see tangible progress but I am absolutely determined we build momentum around a programme that will create exciting, lasting change for Pembrokeshire. I am ambitious about what our county can be and our vision is based on an realisable agenda for regeneration that creates jobs and a thriving region in rural west Wales.’

Though Haverfordwest and Pembroke will be priorities for the town-centre regeneration programme, the public will benefit from projects throughout the whole of Pembrokeshire.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s proposals for Haverfordwest will look to re-establish the county town as a destination of choice for residents, tourists and business, providing an attractive proposition for investment. A number of ‘flagship’ projects are now tabled and the first phase of this work has already delivered Glan-yr-afon/The Riverside, a new library, tourist centre and gallery which has brought a 10% increase in town centre footfall since opening earlier this year. Amongst a number of other exciting schemes nearing fruition, phase two of the Riverside project – the redevelopment of the former Ocky White department store building – is now at an advanced stage. There is now the required political appetite alongside a robust business case to see these projects assist in repositioning Haverfordwest as an exciting place to work, live and build a business.

With rail and road infrastructure strategies well underway, alongside a desire for highspeed fibre broadband throughout the county, Cllr Miller talks candidly of a mission to make Pembrokeshire ‘the best connected rural county in the UK.’

Plans for the redevelopment of South Quay in Pembroke are beginning to come together and the decision on the appointment of the architects for the scheme will be made imminently.

While Cllr Miller is careful to acknowledge that progress will be measured on results, he is determined that the next few years will demonstrate a sea change in Pembrokeshire’s drive towards regeneration and he is clear about how he sees this being realised: ‘We’re going to show some leadership and that’s going to prove the catalyst for bringing partners, investors and businesses to the County. With connectivity at the heart of our programme we are going to invite the nation to embrace the attractive possibility of living and working in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Pembrokeshire is a dynamic, connected, ambitious place and we’re open for business!’

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Rugby Weekly – Tenby’s promotion push continues

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It’s crunch time for all rugby clubs around the county, whether promotion is their aim or fighting relegation or even just trying to improve their league position, it’s now or never. 

Last weekend saw an important win for Fishguard in division two west which should put any relegation fears to bed completely. James Griffiths added an impressive 18 points for the Seagulls as they defeated Nantgaredig 33-19. 

Elsewhere in the second division, Milford were beaten 32-8 by a good Lampeter outfit. The Mariners are still a little too close for comfort with the drop zone but should have enough quality to see them safe. 

At the other end of the table Tenby sit in second place and have played fewer games than leaders St Clears and third place Lampeter. They won impressively again last weekend, beating Pontyberem 64-19 at Haywood Lane. Fletcher Broadhurst impressed with two tries as did Hywel Baker who also grabbed himself a brace. Another excellent performance in an outstanding season so far in which promotion would be the absolute icing on the cake. 

In Division Three West, Pembroke were well beaten by Laugharne 74-15 in which the outstanding Liam Price and Nico Setaro both crossed the whitewash 4 teams a piece. The latter also added 7 successful conversions. 

There was a local derby at Pill Parks where Llangwm hosted Pembroke Dock Quins and it was an exciting clash. The visitors won narrowly 28-23, Craig Barnett and Gethin Bradney both scored two tries for the Quins. The Wasps battled hard and will be proud of their performance, Gethin Thomas impressed for the hosts with two tries of his own but it wasn’t enough to secure the points. 

St David’s hosted the high flying Cardigan outfit and were unable to score in reply to the visitors 20 points, with it ending 20-0. The Saints however won’t be losing too much sleep over it as they have had a great season so far. 

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Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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