Tenby’s Mayor, has said that the proposed housing development at Brynhir has the potential to help save the town as a sustainable community.

Pembrokeshire County Council was granted outline planning permission in 2020for a development of 144 properties at the site in Tenby, with the local authority expecting to gain full planning permission soon, to enable them to start construction on the site in the coming months.

As part of the engagement process for the proposed scheme, a meeting was held between Tenby Town Council and PCC officers this week to gather thoughts, ideas and aspirations for the development site for feedback to the design team that has been appointed to undertake the project.

Following presentations from PCC officers, Tenby’s Mayor, Clr. Mrs. Sam Skyrme-Blackhall gave her thoughts on the future development, and the current housing crisis hitting local communities.

“It is a very opportune moment for us to be meeting, as at our last meeting we discussed the growing housing crisis in Tenby,” she said.

“With property prices spiralling, homes are being snapped up as second houses, investment opportunities and to turn into Airb’n’b businesses. And now we have local people, good long-standing tenants, evicted from their homes so that landlords can cash in on high house prices or seek higher earning potential as holiday lets and Airb’n’b operations.

“The need for housing is as high as it has ever been and the number houses and flats available for rent in the private and social sector is as low as it has ever been.

“The lack of available housing has a knock-on effect into every aspect of our community’s life. Families are separated, people’s jobs are at stake, organisations have declining membership, and volunteer bodies such as the RNLI, Coastguard and Fire Service are finding recruitment more and more difficult. The list could go on and on,” remarked the Mayor.

“This housing crisis is why Tenby Town Council reaffirms its policy of support for this development. It is also why the town council will be calling for all of the extra money generated by the increase in the council tax premium for second homes to be spent buying properties in Tenby for social housing. Local houses for local people.”

Clr. Mrs. Skyrme-Blackhall said that the meeting was to talk about design, with a good news story to hear about, secured by design buildings taking account of the best practice for dementia friendly homes; and more good news on energy efficiency and low long term maintenance costs.

“Good sustainable housing - but sustainable houses need sustainable communities to make them sustainable homes!” she continued.

“The design and layout of these houses at Brynhir, and the creation of an ecological corridor - hopefully a park area with walkways and pleasant open space - and other factors are important in securing the ongoing support of the Town Council, but they are not the only factors.

“Tenby Town Council has a longstanding policy of supporting the development at Brynhir on the condition - the strict condition - that this is genuinely about local houses for local people.

“The amount of Council housing included as part of this development was key to this Council’s support. But it is essential that all these units – all of them – are subject to a strict local lettings policy. That means that Tenby connections are essential and the only route to allocation.

“The development at Brynhir has enormous potential to provide quality sustainable homes and help save Tenby as a sustainable community.

“What we discuss today in terms of quality design, great public open space and environmentally friendly build is so very important but local lettings policy is the vital non-negotiable factor.

“We have an opportunity, a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and we owe it to those who follow us to get it right,” added the Mayor.

A Public Engagement meeting on the Brynhir development is also expected to be held at Tenby Leisure Centre in the near future.