With work set to start soon on one of the biggest housing developments for Tenby in some time - members of the seaside town’s Civic Society have continued to outline improvements that they feel are needed to progress the scheme.

In total, 125 homes will be constructed at the Brynhir site, on the Old Narberth Road, which will range in size and consist of 93 affordable housing (social and intermediate rent), 16 shared ownership, and 16 open market sale.

Before the turn of the year, Pembrokeshire County Council confirmed the award of a ‘pre-construction service agreement’ for the housing development, with the firm Morgan Construction appointed.

A full planning application from PCC was approved by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority some time ago; and now a number of ‘discharge conditions’ have been submitted to the planning authority.

The scheme was expected to start this September, with a view to it being completed in 2029.

Now Tenby Civic Society has provided a further update on what the state of play is for the development; and planning design issues that they still consider contentious, that are being ironed out.

“A series of details are being confirmed to meet the 35 planning conditions of the Brynhir scheme,” the Civic Society shared.

“We objected to the inadequate original design of the junction to Narberth Road – surely enough it has had to turn into a much wider more complicated layout to meet road safety and drainage problems.

“Narberth Road is to be widened at the junction a) to insert a new centre lane for traffic from Tenby to wait to turn into the site; b) to allow a central refuge in the road just north of the junction for pedestrians to cross to and from the new estate onto the only footpath, on the west side of Narberth Road; and c) to construct short pavements either side of the junction on the east side; d) there will also then be also strips reserved to hold drainage water from the road and slope coming down from the estate to the junction – provision to prevent new ‘flash flood’ flows across Narberth Road.

“Really wet weather has often seen water coming out of the hill and flowing across Narberth Road just down from this point.

“This is just one illustration of just how complicated it is to manage the consequences of new building; there will be others on the rest of the site, hopefully less expensive than these to solve.

“A host of existing features in the whole site are to be retained, though the extent of current greenery will be reduced somewhat – with much remaining.

“Sadly the prominent positions of the three storey flats has not altered so are likely to feature on the skyline seen from the harbour area.

“We feel an emergency access bollard between Lady Park and the site might also allow buses to pass, serving both Brynhir and Upper Hill Park, on a short detour to services in and out of Tenby,” they added.