PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL will use its powers, when necessary, to help improve the condition of some buildings in Haverfordwest’s High Street.
Numerous complaints have been made to councillors about the state of some of the town’s shops, some of which are empty and/or in need of repairs.
Speaking at a meeting of the Cabinet on Monday, February 14, Cllr Paul Miller said that they would not be afraid to use the powers available to them, if it came to that.
He told the meeting of a number of initiatives which the council has already undertaken and said that the regeneration of Haverfordwest was one of the council’s main priorities.
The Council now owns the Riverside Shopping Centre and is also looking to demolish the multi-storey car park and replace it with a new one.
Cllr Miller said he was confident that by putting money into the town centre, it would encourage the private sector to do so as well.
He said: “We’ve made this a priority as an administration and we’ve made significant efforts to support the transformation and transform the fortunes of Haverfordwest.
“A planning decision is imminent in relation to the demolition and re-provision of the multi-storey car park and transport interchange and that’s all about making visiting the town more easier, more convenient, more welcoming.
“We now own the Riverside Shopping centre and occupancy has risen since we have secured that site and we’ve also secured some important service tenants.
“Based on our current projections we’re going to be a long way from our worst case scenario and in the financial year 21/22 we’d expect to see a surplus equal to around 30% of the council’s contribution to the purchase in the first place.
“We’re committed also to more than £20m investment in linking the castle with the town, that’s a new iconic pedestrian crossing of the river and new arcade through Bridge Street to directly link the castle and it’s the regeneration of the castle itself to create event space.
“In relation to the High Street, we’ve designated the High Street as an intervention area for the latest realms of grant support, including the Welsh Government’s targeting and investment programme. That scheme includes support for residential units in town centres and commercial property improvement grants.
“We recently awarded significant grant awards under the programme for both Haverfordwest and Pembroke.
“It’s important to note that those activities are already underway so I am genuinely convinced that we’re doing everything we possibly can to support the transformation and regeneration of Haverfordwest.”
Cllr Miller also said he had spoken to someone who was looking at purchasing a building on High Street and said he was determined to make Haverfordwest something that people can be proud of.
He went on to say there may be some occasions who don’t want to do any work on their buildings but said that they would not be afraid to use their powers if it came to that.
Cllr Tom Tudor said he had had ‘years of complaints’ about High Street and that it was reassuring that the use of specialist powers to ensure that property owners do bring their ‘houses in order’.
Cllr Jon Harvey said it was a problem in most towns and said that putting money into town centres could only be ‘beneficial’.
