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Conference speakers urge Welsh Government to listen to tourism industry

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TOURISM leaders have called on Welsh Government ministers to listen to the industry when developing policies that will impact businesses.

The call came from Wales Tourism Alliance (WTA) chairman Suzy Davies and Steve Hughson, chairman of both the Mid Wales Regional Tourism Forum and the Event Wales Industry Advisory Group, when speaking at the Mid Wales Tourism Conference.

The sell-out conference, which attracted 120 delegates as well as exhibitors and sponsors, was held at the Metropole Hotel and Spa, Llandrindod Wells. The event was organised by MWT Cymru, an independent organisation representing around 600 tourism and hospitality businesses across Powys, Ceredigion and Southern Snowdonia.

Mid Wales Tourism Conference 2023. Picture by Phil Blagg Photography. PB220-2023

Mrs Davies said the WTA, which represents around 6,000 businesses in all sectors of tourism industry across Wales, was working with others to restore the industry’s relationship with the Welsh Government.

There had been a breakdown in communications stemming from the introduction of the 182-day rule for self-catering accommodation in Wales. Self-catering accommodation that fails to be occupied for 182 days of the year now risks paying much higher council tax.

The WTA has been talking to the Welsh Government about the impact of the 182-day rule, a tourism tax and statutory registration of tourism accommodation, but Mrs Davies said it had not been listening and businesses had lost faith in the consultation processes.

“The current engagement structures don’t work for either the Welsh Government or the tourism industry,” she added. “The industry must be in the room when the Welsh Government shapes and designs policy and we need to be listened to.”

She said there were signs that the Welsh Government was now beginning to listen to the industry’s collective voice, as a review of the 182-day rule had been promised and the tourism tax had been delayed until 2027.

“There is now a much better understanding of what we have been all saying for the past 18 months,” she added. “We must never find ourselves in this position again which is why we have organised a symposium in Newtown in January and we hope the Welsh Government will attend.”

Mr Hughson also stressed the importance of a united tourism industry working closely with the Welsh Government to influence and shape policies to ensure that they work well when introduced.

“We can get the Welsh Government and Visit Wales to change, so long as we work in partnership in a polite, respectful and evidence-based way,” he said. “It has never been more important that we work together.”

Regional tourism forums across Wales had an important role in making Welsh Government ministers in different policy areas aware of the cumulative effect of their policies on the tourism industry, he added.

MWT Cymru chairman Rowland Rees-Evans thanked both Mrs Davies and Mr Hughson for their work on behalf of tourism businesses during a challenging time for the industry.

He referred to four consultation papers issued by the Welsh Government. “They will undoubtedly have a major impact on the industry when the legislation is implemented,” he said.

“We are already starting to see the effect of 182-day rule on self-catering holidays. As it stands at the moment, next year we will also have full business rates to contend with, among other changes.

“MWT Cymru has always tried to look after its members, business partners and community groups with help and support from our great team who try to get ahead of the curve whenever new legislation, rules and regulations are being put in front of us.”

Despites concerns about new legislation, he said there were positive signs that 2024 could be a better year for tourism businesses. Forward bookings were healthier than the same time last year and there was feeling that people, who did not take a holiday in Mid Wales this year due to the cost of living crisis, would return in 2024.

Business

Saundersfoot 72-home development work set to begin

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PLANS by one of the UK’s largest housebuilders to build 72 homes, 25 of them affordable, on the outskirts of a Pembrokeshire seaside village have been given the final sign-off, with works due to start in the spring.

Back in 2022, Persimmon Homes applied to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for the scheme on a 2.26 hectare area of land adjoining the northernmost houses of a long-established Sandyhill Park residential estate, Saundersfoot.

The application, including 47 open market dwellings, proposed a variety of detached, semi-detached, terraced and apartment properties to create an “attractive and integrated extension to Saundersfoot”.

The application was given delegated approval when it came before the national park’s July development management committee, with conditions including the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement relating to the affordable housing.

The affordable housing units will be split into four low-cost ownership units and 21 socially rented units, the report for national park planners said; the 35 per cent affordable percentage taking precedent over an affordable housing policy requirement of 50 per cent as it is designated as an allocated site.

As well as the affordable housing element and an open space provision, the scheme included a financial contribution to cover the contribution towards Active Travel Routes within the local area (Saundersfoot Harbour to New Hedges).

After that approval, Persimmon Homes West Wales and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park have now signed the S106 agreement and Persimmon is planning to begin groundworks next Spring, with sales launching soon after ahead of the summer season.

Welcoming the agreement, Persimmon Homes West Wales’ Managing Director, Stuart Phillips, said: “We’re pleased to have finalised the S106 agreement that will allow us to deliver 72 new, high-quality homes for local people in Saundersfoot.

“The development will provide a wide range of zero-carbon ready homes that will be of particular help to young families and first-time buyers, who otherwise might struggle to get onto the housing ladder in Pembrokeshire.

“Throughout the planning process, we have worked closely with officers and stakeholders to ensure that our homes are in keeping with – and enhance – the local area, and I’m thankful to officers and the project team for their collaborative efforts throughout.

“The scheme will deliver substantial community benefits, including new facilities, enhanced green spaces, and significant investment in public infrastructure, as well as the transfer of 25 properties to a local housing association.

“Persimmon has a proud record of delivery in Pembrokeshire, and we are excited about this latest development as we continue to build the best-value homes in sustainable and inclusive communities for local people.”

Local community council Saundersfoot had objected to the scheme on a number of grounds, also asking for a caveat that no property is bought for second-home holiday use.

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Business

West Wales man raising funds for craft cider venture

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A PENYBRYN resident is appealing for community support to launch a small-scale craft cider business in West Wales. Olly Craigan, the organiser of the GoFundMe campaign titled “Craigans Cider,” has already raised £545 towards his goal of £12,000. The funds will go towards purchasing essential equipment to establish a permanent apple press and cider workshop.

Since 2014, Craigan has honed his cider-making skills under the mentorship of experienced cider maker John Whitfield. Now living on a community organic farm in Pembrokeshire, Craigan is seeking to create a dedicated space for producing his craft cider.

The funds raised will help purchase an apple press (£4,500), scratter apple mill (£1,500), filtration and pumping systems (£950), stainless steel tanks (£2,500), and bottling equipment (£1,000). Any donations beyond the target will support operational costs and community cider-making workshops.

Craigan plans to thank supporters by inviting them to a grafting day on the farm, where attendees can sample cider and take home an apple tree.

Further information and donations can be made on the GoFundMe page here.

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Business

35 affordable homes plans for Cleddau Bridge Hotel site submitted

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A FORMAL application on plans to build 35 affordable homes on the fire-ravaged site of the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel, Pembroke Dock has been submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council.

A pre-application consultation on the plans was held in September and October ahead of the formal submission.

In a prime location at one of the entrances to Pembroke Dock the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel has been derelict since a fire in March 2019, which brought emergency services from as far afield as Ammanford, Aberystwyth and Swansea.

A previous planning application for the demolition of the hotel and siting of a residential care home and linked bungalows was submitted in October 2022 and which was subsequently granted permission in February 2023.

This permission, whilst in outline, is still live and allows for the loss of the hotel use of the site and its alternative redevelopment as a residential care home.

The site has now been purchased by Castell Group Property Specialists who specialise in delivering affordable housing in South Wales and have undertaken a joint development deal with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) and that deal was agreed back in April 2024.

Castell Group Property Specialists, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, now wants to demolish what is left of the hotel, with a development of affordable housing units, with landscaping and ecological enhancements, the housing being 100 per cent affordable, a mix of social rent and affordable housing.

Initial discussions with the council were for 38 affordable units, which has been lowered to 35 in a mix of 16 one-bed units, 11 two-bed units, six three-bed units and two four- bed units.

The applicants say: “The application offers an opportunity to find a solution to the redevelopment of the site, which has now been vacant and derelict now for some five years, and to make a significant contribution towards meeting the affordable housing needs of the area. The proposal is unique in that the scheme would be in the form of 100 per cent affordable housing.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has previously said the 2019 fire was started by a deliberate act.

Following a fire investigation, Dyfed-Powys Police said they found there to be insufficient evidence to identify a suspect.

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