HAVERFORDWEST councillors have called for a shake-up of the approach to parking in Pembrokeshire’s county town, with free short-term parking to boost business.

At the January 15 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s policy and pre-decision overview and scrutiny committee, Haverfordwest Castle Ward county councillor Tom Tudor requested a public submission of a ‘Strategic Parking Plan to Boost Haverfordwest Town Centre Economy’ be added to the committee agenda.

Cllr Tudor brought forward a proposal made by town councillor Scott Thorley “aiming to increase footfall while maintaining fiscal responsibility,” which includes two hours free parking in Haverfordwest town centre across all car parks to encourage short visits for shopping, dining, and services, Monday-Saturday, 9-5.

It also includes extending the parking duration at the Perrots Road Car Park to a four-hour maximum stay, with the first two hours free, with free parking from 5pm Saturday to 8am Monday to support evening and weekend activities.

He also proposes free parking all day on Sundays “to attract visitors to hospitality businesses, such as cafes, restaurants, and pubs, fostering a vibrant weekend economy”.

His strategy also includes leveraging “increased footfall from free parking to boost local business revenue, offsetting potential losses in parking fees through keeping businesses open and attracting more investment into the town,” adding: “Evidence from similar UK schemes suggests a potential five–15 per cent increase in retail spending with free parking initiatives,” with a call for social media and local press marketing of the proposed changes.

He also proposes staff working in the town centre “adopt alternative transport methods to free up parking spaces for customers,” through such things as the promotion of car-sharing, encouraging the use of public transport, and supporting cycling and walking through investments in secure bike storage and incentives for staff.

He says there would be an economic boost to the town’s businesses through his proposed changes through increased footfall; free Sunday parking also helping the hospitality industry, and encouraging staff to shift to alternative transport reducing congestion and giving environmental benefits.

Members agreed to note the submission by Cllr Tudor on behalf of Cllr Thorley.

PLANS for a mini-golf tourist attraction on part of a Pembrokeshire seaside village family venue are expected to be approved by the national park later this month.

In an application recommended for approval at the January 28 meeting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s development management committee, Lowri Silver of Kilgetty, seeks permission for a change of use of the ground floor area of Saundersfoot Harbour’s Coastal Schooner to an indoor mini golf tourist attraction.

The schooner – a prominent feature on the village’s National Events Deck – was built to showcase Saundersfoot’s maritime heritage and is part of the £10m Wales Coastal Centre project.

The building is a replica of a traditional coastal schooner vessel which operated from the harbour during the coal mining era to transport coal from Saundersfoot.

The interpretation centre closed in October 2024.

Last July, an application by Jonathan Thomas of ‘Schooner’ for a pirate-themed bar at the site was refused at the national park development management committee.

That rum bar scheme had raised concerns from the community council, saying it was “considered to be at odds with the current family venue and heritage elements”.

An officer report recommending refusal said that scheme was considered to fall outside the seaside village’s defined retail area and the impact on the amenity of the area and especially nearby residential dwellings.

At that meeting, Cllr Alec Cormack, one of the local county councillors, and member of the community council, called for a more family-friendly scheme for the site.

A supporting statement accompanying the new application says: “The maritime theme will be maintained as the attraction will maintain many of the existing interpretation information and the maritime theme.  The Schooner operated as an interpretation centre and high ropes offer for a year from October 2023 to October 2024.

“It has been open through the summer of 2025 on Tuesday and weekends. However, it has proved not to be a viable option to run the Schooner as an interpretation centre alone and an additional use is sought to maintain the interpretation element of the Schooner and to offer an all-weather attraction for local people and residents alike.”

It added: “The proposal will allow for the Schooner to be maintained and be open to the public thus protecting and enhancing the community facilities to meet the needs of local people and visitors alike. The proposal would also sustain the future of the interpretation element of the Schooner which in turn will protect and enhance the harbour, which is one of the key attractions in Pembrokeshire.”

The latest proposal is “strongly supported by Saundersfoot Community Council, particularly regarding the provision of an indoor family attraction; this was a unanimous decision,” a report for committee members recommending approval says.

It adds: “The proposed works will apart from planters, be fully contained within the existing structure and provide an indoor facility for residents and visitors, which is considered to enhance the visitor economy of the area, not just through the tourist season but also outside of the peak season, with the facility being an indoor facility with scope for all year-round operation.”

A FORMER county councillor has paid tribute to the late Mike Stoddart, describing him as a “principled incredible friend” with an “encyclopaedic knowledge of the law” and an unmatched ability to expose wrongdoing.

In a personal memory piece shared with The Herald, Cllr Michael Williams said he first became aware of Mr Stoddart when he ran the Milford Mercury, recalling how some figures at County Hall appeared “fearful” on publication days because of Stoddart’s determination to “root out… dubious activities”.

Cllr Williams also recounted being threatened with libel action after raising concerns about the record and claimed successes of an external consultant hired “at considerable expense”.

He said he was contacted by a Cardiff legal firm demanding £20,000 and warning he would be sued, describing the correspondence as “frankly intimidating” and saying it left him fearing “the loss of everything”.

Cllr Williams said he sought help from Mr Stoddart, who he recalled arriving at his home with his wife Viv and spending an entire evening working through “a considerable quantity of documentation” and advising how to respond.

“Mikes encyclopaedic knowledge of the law was incredible, and he was able to offer some much-needed reassurance,” Cllr Williams wrote.

He added that he worked with Mr Stoddart on allegations involving grants and “dubious travel claims”, which he said culminated in a referral to the council’s audit committee.

Cllr Williams claimed the “taxpayers of the county were massively let down” by Dyfed-Powys Police and the Crown Prosecution Service, despite what he described as a “detailed dossier” submitted by Mr Stoddart.

Reflecting on decades in public life, he said one enduring lesson was that those who ask “awkward questions” can find themselves “shut down”, adding that bodies including the council and police could become “aggressive and intimidatory” when challenged.

Cllr Williams said he feared that without Mr Stoddart, “far less dubious fraudulent or indeed criminal activities will be exposed”.

“Mikes courage together with his sheer intellectual powers are irreplaceable,” he added.