NEXT YEAR, 2024, will be the year that Haverfordwest starts to change “significantly for the better” with the expected completion of the Ocky White development playing its part, councillors heard yesterday.

The food market development on the site of the old Ocky White’s department store hit the headlines last year with the unexpected discovery of hundreds of human remains last year.

A call for an update on the development was heard in a submitted question by Councillor Di Clements at the October 12 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council.

She asked: “The Cabinet Member for Place, Region and Climate Change [Cllr Paul Miller] informed council on March 2 in response to a question submitted by Cllr Andrew Edwards that the development would be nearing completion by the end of the year and as minuted: ‘was confident the project would make a significant and positive contribution once completed’.

At the March 2 meeting, Cllr Miller said the discovery of the human remains had led to an overspend on the project, saying Cabinet had previously backed revisions to the total approved budget of £12.34m, adding it was “significantly in excess of where we wanted to be when the project started”.
Following that meeting, Cllr Clements sought answers to three questions.

“If any tenants have been secured and contracts agreed?”

“The last approved budget as of March 2 was £12.34 million. Does this include fitting out cost?”

“If PCC is to fund any fit-out costs does the cabinet member have an estimate of that cost to the public purse?”

Cllr Miller said contracted works for the first phase of the project had been completed to schedule, and the next stage was due to commence soon, with a complete fit-out expected by next summer.

He said viewing for the tenancies were “going exceptionally well,” with local and national interest, adding:

“A significant number of local food and drink businesses have registered an interest; we’re proceeding to a more formal stage of discussion on this.”

He told members: “We’re on the cusp in Haverfordwest, and 2024 is going to be the year when we’re beginning to see it come together and Haverfordwest changing significantly for the better.”

Cllr Clements said it was good to see expressions of interest, but had hoped to see secured contracts, and repeated her question on whether the £12.34 budget included fitting-out costs.

Cllr Miller confirmed that was the case, adding: “No-one has signed on the dotted line as yet and we are probably a bit behind where I’d like to be, but the strength of interest has been extremely positive.”

Posting on social media after the meeting, Cllr Miller said: “We have lots of prospective tenants lined up.

The job now isn’t finding people it’s reducing the number of people who’ve expressed an interest down before final contracts are signed.

“Western Quayside, taken together with the other investments we’re making in the town of

Haverfordwest, will have a significant positive effect on vibrancy and footfall.”