A site situated off Narberth Road in Tenby which has been earmarked for development looks set to be utilised for a social housing scheme to benefit local people.

At a meeting of full council at County Hall in Haverfordwest, last Thursday, Pembrokeshire County Council’s cabinet member for housing, Clr. Pat Davies, said that the authority was ‘totally committed’ to building new homes on the 15.7 acre land at Brynhir, following a question from Clr. Mike Evans, who represents Tenby’s South ward, on whether the council had taken any opportunity over the last 18 months whilst marketing this land, to talk with a social registered landlord.

Clr. Evans also posed the question as to what values the authority had attributed to the land at Brynhir over the last 10 years.

He submitted a ‘notice of motion’ asking that the authority withdraw from open sale of the land owned at Brynhir, so that a social housing scheme to meet the needs of local residents, including social rented, low cost ownership and innovative self-build opportunities, could be brought forward in cohesion with Pembrokeshire Councils Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA), with his proposals now set to go before the county council’s next cabinet meeting.

Following the meeting, Clr. Davies reaffirmed the ‘need in Tenby’ and across Pembrokeshire for ‘good quality affordable homes’.

“We will look at Brynhir in Tenby and other parcels of land across the county with a view to developing Pembrokeshire’s housing scheme further,” said Clr. Davies.

Speaking at Tuesday night’s meeting of Tenby Town Council, Clr. Evans told his fellow members that four years of ‘keeping the pressure up’ on the county council to battle for a social housing development of this kind at Brynhir had now appeared to be successful.

“My fear was that the authority would sell the land, but we have slowly chipped away and this could provide an amazing opportunity for the people of Tenby,” he commented, stating that a development of 168 homes, combining a range of affordable housing options with local connection clauses, would give young people and families in Tenby a ‘stepping stone’.

“A scheme like this will put locals at the top of the list and not at the bottom, as the criteria will ensure that homes will have to go to local candidates on the register,” continued Clr. Evans.

Clr. Laurence Blackhall said that right from the outset the town council had supported the idea of a percentage of any housing scheme at Brynhir including an affordable housing element and he supported all the ambitions for the development that Clr. Evans had outlined, suggesting that the cabinet member for housing should come to speak to them at a future meeting.

Clr. Mrs. Christine Brown and her fellow member Clr. Mrs. Tish Rossiter did, however, criticise Clr. Evans for what they described as being ‘discourteous’ in not informing members of the town council of his intentions in putting the ‘notice of motion’ to the full council meeting, with Clr. Mrs. Brown remarking that she was ‘disappointed’ to learn of the matter first hand from a member of the electorate.