Regeneration sparks rising confidence in Haverfordwest

“BRILLIANT” and “Lush!” were two words readers used to describe Haverfordwest’s new Public Transport Interchange, with the under-cover bus station and free 1-hour parking being two of its most popular attributes.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s Public Transport Interchange in Haverfordwest, which was built by Kier Construction, opened on September 18.

Since the opening of this brand new hub followed four long years of building site and temporary arrangements, it’s not surprising that some users’ enthusiasm stems from relief:

“I love it. No more standing out in the freezing cold and pouring rain next to stinking portaloos.”

We are thankful to all the readers who responded to our appeal for feedback, and all the following comments show that Haverfordwest’s new car park and bus station is being welcomed by local users.

“Very good, clean and wide parking areas, the free 1-hour parking is a great. We use it every time we go into town.”

“The free 1-hour is super helpful! Spaces are bigger and easier to park in than the last one and no pillars to navigate when getting into spaces.”

“I’ve used it few times and like the idea you pay for what you stay no rush or if you’re late.”

“Very modern and clean. Had a couple of coach trips from there.”

“The bus area is good. Out of the weather and clear electric signage indicating the bus stops and times.”

“We catch the bus a lot since being retired and we think it’s really nice to be under cover out of the cold, toilets nice too and car park clean and tidy, let’s hope it stays like that and that there is security late at night to stop unsocial behaviour.”

“All we need now is a town that you either want to or need to, stop in for more than an hour. Thanks for the free hour.”

A number of people have commented that the signage is poor, with one user stating: “I missed the entrance and ended up by the alley to the shops. By the time I found the entrance I forgot what I drove to Haverfordwest for,” and adding: “If you park on the upper levels and walk down the far stairwell, you exit via a pretty heavy fire escape-type door. It almost feels like it’s an afterthought and you shouldn’t be in that area.”

Another said: “Seems a good design but one issue is no outside seating at the bays, as many elderly people want to sit and wait by the bays. I heard many asking about seating.”

These issues should be easy fixes for the council. It’s no use pretending that everyone’s happy, however. ‘Cashless’ is a huge issue for some people, while others are critical of its designation as a public transport hub when connections to the railway station are infrequent. And disabled users, in particular, have been expressing frustration:

“Having parked in the disabled spaces recently, I realised that they are the only spaces that are not undercover.”

Someone pointed out: “The disabled spaces are pretty useless for wheelchair accessible vehicles. For some reason there’s a hump on each space restricting how far forward you can park, which then leaves the wheelchair user being offloaded literally into the line of traffic.”

“Seating is definitely needed,” said a disabled bus passenger who found that the waiting room is impractically far from the bus stop they need to use. In addition: “I couldn't use my radar key to access the toilets which is terrible. Again the one disabled toilet was the other end of the building.”

On the other hand, a proud dad of a severely disabled boy reckons it’s “a long overdue addition with disabled facilities for anyone with additional needs.

“Complain all you like,” he said, “for anyone in our situation it's a huge leap forward knowing that there’s finally somewhere where our lad can have some dignity if needed, instead of having to put him on a dirty floor. Kudos to the builders, architects and Pembrokeshire County Council. Thank you.”

The modern transport hub was backed by a £16.894 million Welsh Government Local Transport grant and £1.987 million of council funding. A further £1.2 million of Welsh Government Transforming Towns funding supported the surrounding shared outdoor spaces, civic squares, and pedestrian environments developed alongside it, as well as the Prendergast Connectivity Bridge improvements.

It’s the latest to be completed, but is only one of a number of initiatives designed to revive, modernise and future-proof Pembrokeshire’s county town.

The striking signature bridge, which opened in October 2025, replaced the old footbridge and its deteriorating steelwork.

It was part of the wider Heart of Pembrokeshire regeneration project for Haverfordwest for which the council received £17,700,266 from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund. The project includes the Western Quayside transformation and the Public Transport Interchange and follows a successful engagement event at Haverhub in 2024.

The opening of the Waldo Lounge café bar at the Western Quayside on November 20, 2024 was welcomed by Council Leader Cllr Jon Harvey, seeing it as playing a key role in improving ‘footfall and vibrancy’ in the town.

County Councillor Thomas Tudor described the £5.7million footbridge, which set the council back just £600,000, as “an incredible piece of engineering that will improve connectivity and accessibility for residents and visitors alike.”

Haverfordwest Castle is being transformed into a high-quality visitor attraction as part of the town's regeneration project.

At this year’s Gild of Freemen Summer Event at the Hotel Mariners, Haverfordwest, officers from the council’s regeneration team explained how the Haverfordwest Castle development project will transform the castle into a high-quality visitor attraction for local people, schools and visitors to the county.

The mediaeval castle itself has been conserved for future generations, and the Inner Bailey has been landscaped to enable it to hold up to 500 capacity events such as concerts, plays etc, together with other types of events such as craft fairs and Christmas markets. The rest of the castle grounds will be improved, with interpretation on the history of the castle and associated family activities.

The building housing the Haverfordwest Museum (Governor’s House) will be conserved and the museum exhibition inside will be completely refurbished and modernised.

The gaol building will be transformed into a visitor attraction telling the story of Pembrokeshire's past and potential future in a highly interactive and engaging family-friendly way. The attraction will include a café and shop, together with community spaces, in addition to the exhibition itself.

Finally, the physical route between the castle and town centre (Castle back) is receiving plenty of attention to make it a much more attractive journey, supplemented by improved signage to help people get to the castle and to find their way around the town.

The castle is expected to open in 2028.

After standing vacant for over 13 years, Haverfordwest’s Temperance Hall, which dates back to 1888-9, is undergoing redevelopment to become a heritage print works and exhibition centre, supported by community and government funds.

The long list of works and renovations will create a new heritage printing centre, temporary exhibition area, café and private enterprise space.

The building has been renovated through the UK Government’s Community Ownership Fund. Current interior renovations are being funded by Pembrokeshire County Council with funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.

Earlier this year, an application to turn part of Haverfordwest’s former town centre courthouse to a theatre was given the go-ahead by county planners.

As a courthouse, the Grade-II*-Listed Shire Hall, built in 1835 to the design of local architect William Owen, saw many major trials, its first being that of Rebecca Rioters on several occasions between 1840 and 1844.

Drew Baker, as the end user of the theatre scheme, said the proposals would allow “one of the finest public buildings of its type in Wales” to be brought back “into meaningful use,” and would be an “investment in the cultural economy of Haverfordwest,” creating a “genuine cultural destination” in the centre of the town.

At a special extraordinary meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet held on Friday, October 16, Pembrokeshire County Council backed a lease for a major high street retailer to occupy the former Wilko’s site at Haverfordwest’s Riverside Shopping Centre.

At the meeting, Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said the scheme was about “regenerating Haverfordwest and increasing footfall,” which would ensure “a long-term future” for the Riverside area. Riverside Shopping Centre estate was acquired by Pembrokeshire County Council in November 2020.

Local speculation has focused on budget clothes retailer Primark occupying the site, but at the time of going to press, no announcement has been made.

On July 17, Haverfordwest Mayor Cllr Randell Thomas-Turner presented his 24-page strategic proposal for the town to become the Welsh Government’s national pilot for the suspension of business rates during its regeneration programme.

This report was a significant milestone and followed conversations with local residents, who made their views clear that business rates were one of the biggest barriers facing the town centre.

The proposal sets out how a temporary suspension of business rates pilot could help fill empty shops and reduce vacancy rates; encourage new businesses to invest in the county town; maximise the benefits of the ongoing regeneration programme; support entrepreneurs, protect existing businesses and create jobs.

According to Mayor Randell, the proposal looks to have cross-party support from all but Reform, with Labour MP Henry Tufnell and County Councillor Thomas Tudor pledging support alongside Conservative MS Paul Davies. Paid Cymru County Councillor Billy Shaw was in favour, personally, but the party would need to be on board to bring it to Senedd level; Pembrokeshire County Council too.

“Once we’ve sat down with the Senedd Members, we can say more,” said Cllr Randell Thomas-Turner.

In general, regarding regeneration, the mayor believes Haverfordwest has now ‘turned the corner’:

“Yes, there was a lot of negativity, but now not so much. Residents can see it coming together. There’s a lot more engagement. ”

“We’ve got some really good businesses on Bridge Street,” he said, mentioning Molly Emma’s beauty salon, and added that Quay Street - which has recently blossomed into an independent quarter to rival the likes of Solva and St Davids - is “nearly full”, with only one vacant property remaining.

He told the Tenby Observer it’s not just about structural improvements however; there has been an uplift in community spirit and relationships.

“This takes time and it’s been a decade in the making, but we’ve turned the corner.”

We asked Henry Tufnell MP for his take, and while he didn’t comment on the pilot proposal for suspension of business rates, he did have this to say about the developments in the town:

“I am very encouraged by the regeneration project in Haverfordwest, where public investment is giving businesses the confidence to invest in our county town. With new independent shops like Wild West and Little Loves opening their doors, exciting plans for Shire Hall, and new dining options on the horizon, there are strong reasons to be optimistic.

“However, physical investment alone is only part of the picture. That is why I’ve been working closely with local businesses, listening to what they need to thrive, and championing their cause in Parliament.”

Meanwhile in Pembroke, a Local Regeneration Fund public engagement event held in the town hall on October 21 attracted much interest from local people and business owners.

The town’s mayor Jonathan Grimes - who is also County Councillor for St Mary South and Monkton - said he will be pressing for every penny of the £10.5million to be spent within the required timescale.

“The money must be invested in Pembroke – delivering tangible benefits for our town, its residents and its businesses.

“Local people and businesses must have a meaningful say in deciding which projects are prioritised.”

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in Pembroke,” he added. “We cannot afford to let it drift away, and we cannot afford to get it wrong.”