Application submitted to build affordable homes on fire-ravaged site
Bruce Sinclair, local democracy reporter
An application has been submitted to build 35 affordable homes on the fire-ravaged site of the former Cleddau Bridge Hotel in Pembroke Dock.
A consultation was held spanning September and October for members of the public to have a say on the plans ahead of the formal submission.
Fire
The former Cleddau Bridge Hotel has been derelict ever since a fire in March 2019, bringing emergency services from as far afield as Ammanford, Aberystwyth and Swansea.
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service had previously said that the fire was started by a deliberate act, though following an investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police there was found to be insufficient evidence to identify a suspect.
A previous planning application was sought for the demolition of the hotel and building of a residential care home and linked bungalows in October 2022 which was subsequently granted in February 2023.
Housing
The site has since been purchased by Castell Group Property Specialists, who specialise in providing affordable housing throughout South Wales, who have undertaken a joint development deal with Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC), a deal that was agreed back in April 2024.
The Group plan to work with agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd to demolish what is left of the hotel and develop the area into affordable housing units with landscaping and ecological enhancements.
They plan for the housing to be “100 per cent affordable” with a mix of social and affordable housing. Initial discussions for the council were for 38 affordable units, though this has since been lowered to 35, with a mix of 16 one-bed units, 11 two-bed units, 6 three-bed units and 2 four-bed units.
Opportunity
The applicants said: “The application offers an opportunity to find a solution to the redevelopment of the site, which has now been vacant and derelict now for some five years, and to make a significant contribution towards meeting the affordable housing needs of the area. The proposal is unique in that the scheme would be in the form of 100 per cent affordable housing.”
As of right now, the plan is for the application to be considered at a later date.
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Yet another one of those cute artist’s impressions that contain a cyclist, in a development in a town in a country with no genuine practice of enabling cycling in its design of the urban realm, whilst saying the quiet part out loud with the road being depicted as over 2 cars wide and ample land dedicated to car parking. Wow houses are expensive, so let’s make sure as much land as possible is just dead space. It’s all so tiresome.