News
Blackpool Mill plans supported
SUPPORT has been given by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park to the transformation of Blackpool Mill at a meeting yesterday (Mar 22).
The Park’s Development Management Committee discussed the application which will now go back to CADW for their approval.
Restoration of the 19th century Mill is expected to cost around £2.5m and will see the building transformed into a heritage tourist facility.
Works will be carried out to the interior and exterior of the building while café and railway line around the site would also be built.
The application was for a listed building consent and it will now be considered by CADW for their approval.
Bluestone founder William McNamara said: “Thirteen years ago I stood in front of the planning committee with a vision to create Bluestone. I promised to provide significant jobs and year round quality tourism. Bluestone was a big ask and it has been a long tough journey but your judgement to approve then was not miss-placed.
“We have delivered and more on our original promise and we now employ in excess of 700 full time people year round. We have a massive local supply chain and we operate at 97% occupancy year round.
“Bluestone is a success story for the county and I wish to do the same for Blackpool Mill. The Mill is an important building, one of the finest examples of a mill in the UK.
“However, without an appropriate financially sustainable use it is destined only to receive essential maintenance, no public access, ongoing vandalism, a real waste and a sad prognosis for such an important landmark.
“We have spent two years preparing this planning application and we’ve considered many options.
“We also calculated early on that the Mill as a standalone attraction would not be viable. Viability is key to its long term future and it must have a greater appeal and generate enough revenue to undergo the necessary investment in the Mill.
“With this approval we will spend in excess of £600,000 on fabric of the Mill alone. This application is the first of three. The remaining two we are hopeful will be considered at the next meeting in May.
“The narrow gauge light railway, all-weather events barn, the presentation and interpretation of the wetland and woodland are all vital to this project, as is the land link to the main Bluestone resort.
“Without the three elements the project cannot proceed. It is a good scheme, sensitively designed and appropriate to the Mill and its setting. It will provide the people of Pembrokeshire and tourists with a year round, all-weather and unique and quality attraction complementing and not displacing the existing operators. There is overwhelming local support.
“This proposal will cost Bluestone more than £3m overall and inject an additional £650,000 into the local economy and create 80 full time jobs. I sincerely hope you will put your trust into us once again.”
Cllr Bob Kilmister said: “This is a massive project and the building itself is quite superb, the setting is wonderful and we’re just dealing with the listed building consent and I have no hesitation in recommending approval.
“I have seen a future for the building and one that requires that level of investment and its worthy of that. It could become a jewel in the crown and a building of this importance should receive our support.”
Committee member Ted Sangster said this application was grounded in demonstrable success and that it would provide significant economic benefit to the area.
The application was fully supported with twelve members voting in favour and two abstained.
Business
Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director
THE Port of Milford Haven has announced that Anna Malloy has been appointed as its first Communications and Marketing Director.
Anna is appointed to the Senior Management Team and this new role will be pivotal to the delivery of the Port’s long-term growth and diversification agenda and in ensuring that its obligations to coastal communities, future generations and to nature are honoured.
Tom Sawyer, CEO of the Port of Milford Haven, congratulated Anna and said: “Anna has a key role to play in our future and it’s doubly lovely to see ‘port-grown-talent’ flourish and for colleagues to progress up through our organisation.”
Anna will lead across the public affairs, marketing, sustainability, media relations, and community relations activities. She will therefore play a central role in the development of new and existing partnerships, including the Celtic Freeport, the Milford Haven Energy Cluster and the Celtic Collection; sitting alongside the delivery of major projects like Milford Waterfront and the Pembroke Dock Renewables Terminal.
“This is such an exciting opportunity. I am proud to be joining the Senior Management Team and look forward to delivering our ambitious strategy,” commented Anna Malloy, Communications and Marketing Director.
She added: “The Port of Milford Haven is playing a key role in the transition of South-West Wales’ economy to a decarbonised future. A beautiful place, with great people, that I am privileged to call my home.”
Community
First deadlines met following enforcement action at landfill site
THE first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill in Pembrokeshire have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).
NRW issued site operator Resources Management UK Ltd (RML) with a further Regulation 36 Enforcement Notice on Thursday 18 April.
This outlined a series of actions to be completed by specified deadlines to address the ongoing odour and landfill gas emission issues at the site.
During the latest site inspection which took place yesterday (Thursday 25 April), NRW was able to confirm that three actions have been completed – two ahead of the imposed deadlines.
The operator has installed 24 pin wells, which have been driven into the waste in the lower section of the cell identified as causing the odour issues (Cell 8). These have also been connected to the landfill gas extraction system.
Capping material has been placed over the same area of the cell and welded to the basal liner to encapsulate gas in this area, allowing for extraction by the pin wells and four horizontal gas wells, which were previously installed.
While progress is being made, NRW officers detected strong landfill gas odours during an offsite assessment on Wednesday (24 April) in Poyston Cross and Crundale. Weather conditions this week appear to have led to a wider spread of landfill gas to surrounding areas, not solely linked to wind direction.
NRW odour assessments follow a set route around the landfill, with designated survey spots, identified to enable consistency of assessment and reporting. This is essential to ensure the regulatory and enforcement responses where there is offsite odour attributed to the landfill is robust.
The remaining Regulation 36 Notice actions will require significant effort by RML to ensure they are completed on time and NRW continues to closely monitor progress.
Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW, met with representatives from NRW’s South West Industry Regulation Team and Pembrokeshire County Council during a visit to Pembrokeshire on Thursday 25 April.
Clare Pillman, Chief Executive, Natural Resources Wales, said: “While visiting the area surrounding Withyhedge Landfill with our regulatory team and partners from Pembrokeshire County Council this week, I was able to see and hear for myself just what people living and working in these communities have had to endure as a result of the odour issues from the site.
“What they have been experiencing is unacceptable and our officers have been working tirelessly alongside colleagues at Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator gets this under control as quickly as possible. While it was clear that a lot of work has been done on site, there is still more to do to ensure they address all the actions set out in the enforcement notice.
“We want to make sure that happens, and are exploring every option together with Pembrokeshire County Council to ensure the operator works quickly to resolve the issues which are clearly affecting the quality of life of people in these communities.”
Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations, said: “While we are reassured that action is being carried out by the operators at Withyhedge Landfill with a sense of urgency, we are continuing our regulatory presence on site to ensure the operator’s focus remains on tackling the issues that will address the continuing odour issues being experienced by surrounding communities.
“We will be closely monitoring progress over the coming days and weeks to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May. If they are not met, we will pursue additional enforcement action where appropriate.”
NRW requests that instances of odour from the landfill continue to be reported via this dedicated form: https://bit.ly/reportasmellwithyhedge or by calling 0300 065 3000.
Please report odours at the time of them being experienced, rather than historically. Reporting odours in a timely manner will help guide the work of partners more effectively, particularly in the further development of air quality monitoring.
Community
Milford Haven’s war memorial is 100 years old today
THE Milford Haven War Memorial, a significant landmark commemorating the fallen heroes of World Wars and subsequent conflicts, marks its 100th anniversary today.
The memorial, which was inaugurated on April 26, 1924 by the Venerable the Archdeacon of St Davids, remains a poignant symbol of sacrifice and hope for peace.
Constructed from 1923 to 1924, the memorial consists of a striking assembly of pink granite and white marble statues that were sculpted in Italy.
Representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force, these life-size statues stand on an unpolished three-step plinth below a main pedestal. A soldier faces west and a sailor east, with an airman atop the central column, surveying the skies.
The names and inscriptions of the fallen are carved into the polished granite shaft, meticulously supervised by surveyor J.P. Morgan with contractor E. Jones of Llanybydder.
Located on Hamolton Terrace with views over the Milford Haven waterway, the memorial is a freestanding structure in an external, roadside setting. It features a serviceman/woman sculpture in marble and Portland stone, set on a concrete base surrounded by railings. Inscribed plaques honour those who served in the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and the conflict in Iraq from 2003 to 2009.
The memorial lists the names of 239 men who perished in the First World War on its polished grey granite faces. The Second World War claimed 157 lives from this community, whose names are recorded on bronze plaques around the base. Notably, the memorial also honours one serviceman who fell during the Korean War and another who was killed in Iraq in 2007.
The Milford Haven War Memorial stands not only as a historical monument but also as an enduring reminder of the costs of war and the community’s ongoing commitment to peace.
As the town reflects on a century of remembrance, the hope remains that future generations will continue to cherish and learn from the lessons of the past.
-
News3 days ago
Police and air ambulances at ‘serious incident’ at West Wales school
-
News7 days ago
20mph U-turn: Some roads will return to 30mph following public outcry
-
Community7 days ago
Miracle pup finds her forever home after heart-wrenching journey
-
Crime3 days ago
Pembrokeshire pensioner accused of 17 sexual offences against children
-
Crime2 days ago
All three school stabbing victims discharged from hospital, police confirm
-
Business13 hours ago
Largest Welsh port appoints communications and marketing director
-
Community4 days ago
County Hall to offer space for community banking
-
Crime5 days ago
Brian Davis: Wanted on suspicion of commercial burglary