PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL says it is pleased to confirm the award of a Pre-Construction Service Agreement for the Brynhir housing development in Tenby.

Morgan Construction of Carmarthen has been appointed following the evaluation of a two-stage tender.

Morgan Construction is currently due to begin work on the site in summer 2025.

This will be subject to discharging planning conditions, consideration to ecology periods and minimising disruption during the height of the tourist season.

Eight phases are currently planned, allowing for homes to be available sooner. It is expected that the development will be completed in 2029.

In total, 125 homes will be constructed by Pembrokeshire County Council at Brynhir.

These homes will range in size and consist of 93 affordable housing (social and intermediate rent), 16 shared ownership, and 16 open market sale.  

This development will also include a range of formal and informal play and recreational areas throughout the site, with direct links into the town.

Anyone who is interested in the properties are advised to complete a housing application form to join the Choice Homes housing register.

However, if you are already on the housing register, you do not need to do anything else at this stage.

To join the housing register, please see: www.choicehomespembrokeshire.org/new-customers/how-to-apply

There will be a local connection requirement applied to this housing development.

The criteria for this will be developed closer to the time, ahead of the first phase completion.

Cllr Michelle Bateman, Cabinet Member for Housing said: “I am delighted that we have reached this stage, and I look forward to seeing the site take shape.

“This is a significant development for Tenby and the surrounding area, providing much needed affordable housing.”

If you have any questions about this, or any other development, please contact the Housing Development Team via [email protected] or 01437 764551.

Caption: Artist’s impression of the forthcoming Brynhir development.

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has unveiled its Draft Budget for 2025-26, allocating £443.9m to address housing pressures and more than £100m in additional revenue and capital funding for education.

Supporting Housing and Education

Finance Cabinet Secretary Mark Drakeford announced key allocations, including £219.6m for homelessness support and prevention, £14.3m to assist children with Additional Learning Needs, and extra resources for literacy, numeracy, and the Education Maintenance Allowance.

The budget also commits £93.5m to maintain universal free school meals in primary schools, a 4.3% increase in the local government settlement to sustain essential services like schools and social care, and £57m in financial transactions capital to extend the Help to Buy Wales scheme for another 18 months.

Capital Investment and Social Housing

With more than £3bn in capital unlocked, the Welsh Government has prioritized investment across departments. Highlights include £81m in extra funding for the Social Housing Grant and Transitional Accommodation Capital Programmes to deliver more social housing and continued investment in the £2.3bn Sustainable Communities for Learning programme to refurbish and rebuild schools and colleges.

First Minister’s Vision

First Minister Eluned Morgan emphasized the focus on delivering for Welsh communities:
“This Draft Budget supports the issues important to you. It reflects what I’ve heard in our cities and rural communities: the need for better healthcare, housing, jobs, and opportunities. Today’s announcement ensures continued delivery of the services that matter most to the Welsh people.”

Reversing Austerity

Mark Drakeford underscored the transformative potential of the budget:
“This is a budget for a brighter tomorrow. By working in partnership with the UK Labour Government, we are undoing years of underfunding. This budget protects the most vulnerable in Wales and prioritizes investment in communities that need it most.”

The budget sets Wales on a renewed path to growth, ensuring public services and infrastructure can meet the needs of all citizens.

A CALL on Pembrokeshire County Council to oppose the Labour Government’s changes to inheritance tax affecting family farms is to be heard later this week.

At the Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced farmers would have to pay inheritance tax on agricultural property and land worth more than £1 million at a rate of 20 per cent, with a £3m threshold for couples passing on their farms.

This compares to a 40 per cent rate on other estates.

A Notice of Motion by Councillor Aled Thomas, ‘relating to Protecting British Family Farms and Preserving Rural Communities’ is to be heard at the December 12 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s full council meeting.

Cllr Thomas, who stood as a Conservative candidate for Ceredigion-Preseli in the 2024 general election, asks that: “Pembrokeshire County Council notes its concern to the proposed changes to inheritance tax announced by the Labour Government in the recent Autumn budget, which would scrap Agricultural Property Relief (APR).

“APR has been instrumental in allowing British family farms to remain intact across generations, supporting food security, sustaining rural communities, and aiding environmental stewardship. This tax is estimated to impact over 70,000 family farms, leaving the average farming family with a tax bill of at least £240,000, which will force many to sell portions of their land or close entirely, paving the way for corporate ownership over family ownership.”

It calls on the council to resolve to “oppose the Labour Government’s changes to inheritance tax affecting family farms,” to “advocate for the exemption of family farms to preserve the UK’s food security, rural communities, environmental initiatives,” and to “commit to maintaining its county council farms portfolio, particularly to encourage younger and new generations of farmers into the industry”.

It finishes: “This council urges all councillors to stand with Britain’s family farms, to support our rural communities, and to protect the environment by formally rejecting this proposed ‘family farm tax’.”

Cllr Thomas’s notice of motion will be considered at the December 12 meeting.

Claims were recently made, and denied, that Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell may have had insider knowledge of changes to Agricultural Property Relief recently announced by the Chancellor, with inferences it led to his wealthy landowner parents shielding their estate.

A spokesman for the Mid and South Pembrokeshire Labour MP said: “As has been widely reported, it would seem that even Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for DEFRA, was not aware of the specific changes to Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) before the Budget was announced.

“It would therefore be implausible to suggest that Henry – a backbench MP – would have this kind of knowledge prior to the Chancellor’s Budget announcements before they were made public.

“The actions taken by Henry’s parents were based on professional advice from qualified financial advisers, reflecting prudent and responsible management of their family affairs.

“This is something that every farmer in Pembrokeshire should consider in light of the Chancellor’s recent announcements, to ensure they are prepared for the evolving landscape of farming taxation.”