Sir,
How lovely to see the Barbecue, restored and freshly painted, standing proudly in its prime position, in the centre of Saundersfoot. But how ironic, that Pembrokeshire County Council, after years of allowing the building, originally the old Coal Office, to deteriorate to such a degree, found the money to do it up, in order to be sold on the open market.
Will the restrictions on the buyer be as stringent as those required of the Saundersfoot Community Council, when it was offered the opportunity to buy or lease the building (which rightfully belongs to the village)?
The community council, consisting of public spirited, unpaid members, was unwilling to take the risk of being unable to meet the demands, and so allowed a one-off, golden opportunity to slip through their hands.
The local Historical Society has, for many years, been collecting photographs, documents and artefacts, with the expectation of being able to set up a small museum, heritage centre in the building. Being manned by volunteers, it would have been of great interest to the thousands of visitors and for a small donation, a place to take refuge, from the rain!
D. Ridley, Saundersfoot.