DEVELOPMENT plans for St Davids have been revised – and still feature a controversial 63-bedroom Premier Inn, which residents have been opposed to.

The site,  to the west of Glasfryn Road, will consist of 70 new homes, 38 of which will be affordable properties, in addition to the hotel.

The plans are proposed by four Applicants including Pembrokeshire Housing Association (PHA), Mill Bay Homes, Swangate Developments and Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn. If approved, the development will make an important contribution to meeting the need for affordable homes in St Davids and the Pembrokeshire Peninsular.

“Working with the Applicants, we are able to deliver a significant number of new homes in an area that desperately needs them” said Nigel Sinnett, Group Property Services Director at Pembrokeshire Housing Association.

“More than 50% of the homes proposed at Glasfryn Road are affordable homes, double the target for the site, which we will be able to deliver quickly should the application be approved.”

Through the involvement of Mill Bay Homes, the ‘for sale’ properties will also contribute indirectly to providing affordable homes as the surplus from the sale of these properties will be covenanted to Pembrokeshire Housing Association to fund affordable homes elsewhere.

Latest figures from the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority states a need for 370 affordable homes in the National Park.

“An important objective of the development is to ensure local people benefit”, commented Matthew Owens, Operations Manager at Mill Bay Homes.

“A number of the ‘for sale’ properties will be offered as shared ownership homes, helping to make them more affordable to buyers. We also propose to explore the possibility of offering local residents or individuals with a connection to the local area, the first opportunity to buy the for-sale properties when the development is marketed.”

The plans to redevelop the allocated site were initially launched in May 2017.

“The plans have generated a lot of interest”, said Kevin Murray, Head of Property Acquisitions (North) who is leading Whitbread’s involvement in the Glasfryn Road site.

“We are convinced the new Premier Inn hotel will benefit St Davids. By contributing towards the planning application costs, we are also helping to facilitate the delivery of the new affordable homes in an area that desperately needs them.”

Planning policy in Wales encourages development on sites that can be freed from planning, physical and ownership constraints in order to create sustainable communities where people want to live. Increased ‘serviced’ hotel accommodation, such as that provided by Premier Inn, is also supported by national and regional planning policy.

“Our customers are very loyal to our brand”, continued Kevin.

“We are very good at marketing our hotels to our customer base. As well as diversifying the range of accommodation on offer in the Peninsular, a new Premier Inn hotel in St Davids will attract additional visitors to the city throughout the year, supporting the local economy. This has certainly been our experience at other seaside and traditional leisure destinations where we have opened.”

An independent economic assessment undertaken as part of the planning application estimates 40,000 guests will stay at the St Davids Premier Inn throughout the year.

These guests are anticipated to spend an additional £1.5 million per year in the local economy as they go out to eat and drink and enjoy the attractions and experiences in St Davids and the wider Peninsular.

Approximately 20 permanent year-round jobs will also be created at the hotel on opening.

The Applicants intend to submit a planning application to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority for determination in early 2018. Before doing so, the Joint Applicants will undertake a statutory consultation on the proposals starting on December 1. The consultation will run until Monday, January 8, 2018.

During this statutory consultation, the planning application documents will be available to view on the www.glasfrynroadplans.co.uk website. Comments on the application can also be submitted directly to the Applicants and will be reported within the final planning application documents.

Following the submission of the planning application, the National Park Authority will also consult St Davids’ residents on the development proposals. A decision on the proposed development is expected in spring / summer 2018.