June has been quieter than normal due to the general election. While the majority of PCC meetings have been cancelled, there has still been plenty to do in our village.
Tunnels & Coastal Path
It had been hoped that this would reopen as planned on the 12th of July, Alec and I met the team working on site and works were progressing well over the recent months. Unfortunately there had been another landslide on the Wisemans Bridge end of the coastal path that needed to be accounted for. There were also issues with the path itself that had to be resolved with the team at PCC looking into the cause and how it can be repaired effectively. With the works needed to reopen the path and the extra issues that have arisen over the last month, the opening date hopefully will now be Friday 2nd of August. I fully appreciate that this will be a major inconvenience to businesses & residents in Saundersfoot & Wisemans Bridge, but it’s imperative this work is done so the tunnels are safe. The delayed opening date is as a consequence of additional works required, including the occurrence of another landslip along the path, which has required PCC to instruct the contractor to carry out additional remedial works whilst on site and erosion of the sea wall. I know that PCC are working extremely hard on this scheme, working with the contractors but there is still the possibility of finding further issues in the meantime. SAFTEY is paramount for this project and hopefully that this will be signed off in August when it’s safe to do so.
Fly Tipping
I do feel that Saundersfoot has come a long way recently on fly tipping. There is a better understanding with PCC on how waste is managed and the number of properties now signed up to trade waste agreements has vastly increased. With the new Welsh Government directive coming into force in Pembrokeshire in April regarding waste, companies locally are now aware of the demands. I will also say that many second home owners are now signed up to these agreements which has vastly reduced the waste into our public bins. Last year it was extremely disruptive for the village and Saundersfoot had the bins replaced by PCC that would help limit the abuse of full black bags. This has been working very well and the local residents should also be applauded as they have also been really supportive in pointing out abuse and challenging this. The bins around the village have been working as they should with the exception of abuse now directed to the Sensory garden, as they have the old fashioned bins with the lid at the top and PCC have been monitoring this over the last 6 weeks. Unfortunately full black bags have been deposited into these bins and at the beginning of June I spent a few hours on a changeover Saturday in the village to look at the properties impacting PCC and its local residents. I will say that during the three hours I spent, only two properties from the Strand turned up with waste and a camper van with its waste on board trying to dispose of the rubbish. I will say that all three were totally unaware that this was fly tipping and took the rubbish back. The two properties on the Strand, it was stated that they didn’t have appropriate storage or recycling at their accommodation. My view is that the owners have to provide the correct waste management and details should be provided at each property, I did pass on the details of both properties to the PCC enforcement team to chase property owners up. I have since followed this up with a request to PCC to change the bins at the Sensory garden for similar bins that are dotted around the village. I have also spoken with Saundersfoot Community Council to make them aware of what’s been happening and that PCC have offered to change the bins on site.
Whist discussing bins, there has been some commercial waste being deposited at Rushy Lake. This has been brought to my attention by PCC and they have stated this has been happening recently and if it continues the bin will be removed. My view is slightly different, unfortunately this location lends itself to all types of vehicles pulling up with ample space to dispose of waste. I certainly don’t want the bin removed as this is the only bin between Saundersfoot & New Hedges. I have engaged with local residents to potentially move the bin across the road and put it next to the bus stop that also has the pavement linking up between the villages. This suggestion was welcomed by the residents I spoke with. This is an active travel link and would be far easier for pedestrians and dog walkers to deposit their waste more effectively. I have raised this with PCC who continue to monitor the bin at Rushy Lake and hopefully the bin will remain between the two villages but in a different location.
Regency Hall – Climate change Saundersfoot
I recently attended a talk at the Regency Hall organised by Saundersfoot Community Council working with Angharad Llewelyn PCC Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Manager. This was to talk about the challenges not only in Saundersfoot but other coastal areas affected in Pembrokeshire. The talk was designed to give as much information possible to the residents & business owners on the Strand and surrounding area. It was designed to engage with communities to develop resilience and adaptation plans. We all agree that management for the coast is complicated, with so many organisations, owners along with PCC who all have a vested interest on the main beach backing onto the Strand. We are also aware of the rising sea levels and its only right that we discuss this locally to look at ways on how we as a community can work together to define priorities, actions and a working group to look at procedures to protect this infrastructure. The economic and social contribution of these properties on the Strand, to the community needs to be fully considered. At a rough count it has around a dozen full time residential properties, a pub, a couple of cafe/restaurants and a dozen shops. It then has a considerable number of commercial holiday lets and second homes. All of these contribute hugely to the village economy, not least through our high business rates and council tax, and it would be good to put some accurate numbers on this in terms of both property usage and economic contribution. I do feel that a small working group from SCC, residents, business owners to look at possible alternative schemes which could include, replenishment of the pebble bank which was last done in the 1970’s. I feel that we need to be discussing this now to plan ahead, we don’t want to be thinking we have plenty of time, so we can discuss this in twenty years. It’s also very important that residents and visitors know that that the pebble bank in front of the properties aren’t natural to this coastline. They have been brought in as ballast from the ships picking up Coal and in the 1970’s, South Pembrokeshire district council distributed the stones to protect the properties. The pebbles are there as a sea defence for the properties on the Strand.
Site meetings
During June I looked at two sites within my ward that I felt needed attention for its residents. I have talked previously of the issues at Bethany flats and many residents have raised concern of passing pedestrians dumping their waste bags outside the property next to their wheelie bin. Recently members of the Saundersfoot in Bloom attended this site and cleaned up the mess that had been accumulating over the weeks. I raised this with PCC again and this has been prioritised as there are wider concerns. I’m happy to now report that this has been sorted and a suitable bin store has been built to help its residents from the abuse during the busy periods. I have also raised concerns of the waste operations at Westfield Ct flats and the fact that the rear courtyard caught my eye due to, broken fences, metal poles sticking out of the ground, damaged walls, brambles and overgrown boundaries. I did have a meeting on site with PCC and highlighted many issues and had a very positive response on how they will look at improving & making sure this is a safe area. I do have concerns that the fence is damaged and there is a stream behind and with young families now living on site, it’s imperative that all of these jobs are looked into before there is an accident.
Long Course Weekend
During June, Saundersfoot welcomed the cycle event through our village and yet again the atmosphere on St Bride’s hill was excellent with the local Samba band providing the entertainment for the cyclists as they came through the village. Whilst we can all agree the atmosphere on the hill was excellent, the village in general was very quiet until the roads opened back up at 3pm. I would ask all businesses and residents, if they would like to give any feedback, it would be greatly appreciated. That might be from Road Closures, General observations, Communication of the event and the impact on the community.
Saundersfoot in Bloom
July is a very important month for this organisation. On Wednesday, July 10th Wales in Bloom judges visit Saundersfoot and on July 30th Saundersfoot will host the Britain in Bloom judges. It’s incredible what has already been accomplished by these hardy volunteers and Saundersfoot in Bloom would certainly welcome new members to continue the excellent work they are doing. Many individuals from all corners of our village are playing their part, with many residents continually going out each day picking litter off your street or road. If you live in Saundersfoot, be proud of your village and play your part. Well done Saundersfoot in Bloom and best of luck.
Fan Road
The Active Travel project in Saundersfoot now substantially complete for the initial phase, which will create connectivity between the sustainable transport network at the rail station to Valley Road and the wider network along the Ridgeway. Commencing at the Rail Station the route initially runs eastward along Station Road towards Fan Road, with the path constructed off carriageway, the MUR then turns toward Fan Road via an uncontrolled crossing point, which has been formed to the north of the reconfigured Fan Road junction. From the junction the MUR facility heads southwards along Fan Road, initially being constructed in the Highway verge and then along the highway embankment, adjacent to a pond / natural habitat, continuing along the inside of the existing hedge bank which has been retained. This section of the route is the last section in the initial works to be complete, with the final surfacing programmed for next week. From this point the route continues to the inside of the existing hedgerow until returning to the edge of the highway and to a traffic calming feature north of Valley Road junction. Inspection of the route is programmed prior to opening this section to the public.
The second and final phase of the route between the Saundersfoot Rail Station and the Village Centre is now being programmed, this will include a Quite Street Shared Use Path arrangement along Incline Way, linking to the PRoW along Westfield Road and Brooklands Place. Engineers are currently preparing programmes of construction works and applying of any necessary licences to undertake the construction, these works will be planned in phases and information will be shared as available.
It is aimed to commence on the highway junctions at Westfield Court initially, then the end of Incline Way, followed by the public right of way ( PRoW ) resurfacing from Westfield Road to the western end of Brooklands place. Design works continue along Milford Street, Stammers Road and Sandy Hill, there will be PCC engagement on these proposals once advanced, alongside proposals for a link between Coppet to Frances Lane, this being along France Road, these are at a feasibility stage.
Brooklands Place – road closure
NOTICE is hereby given that Pembrokeshire County Council intend not less than seven days from the date of this Notice, to make an Order under Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 as amended by the Road Traffic (Temporary Restrictions) Act 1991.
The proposed Order is necessary to enable a new footpath and upgrade works to the existing footpath to be carried out.
The effect of the Order will be to temporarily prohibit all pedestrian traffic other than exempted persons from proceeding along that section of public footpath SP42/39A from a point at Brooklands Place west via The Incline to a point near Bonvilles Court
It is intended that the restrictions, which will be signed accordingly, will come into effect on Monday 29th July 2024, and remain in force for a period of approximately 2 months.
General news in the ward
During June there have been many issues locally that have come to my attention in my role and have listed a few of them below. Regarding potholes, I have reported a few on our roads which are still waiting to be completed while others on Windsor Terrace have been completed quickly. There was also a concern regarding the floor in the first tunnel heading into Coppet Hall. When I examined the complaint, I realised that part of the surface area in the tunnel was an issue. It was reported and fixed immediately. This was also the case when a hole appeared on the pavement at the top of St Brides Hill and was seen to that day by the team at PCC. Since then I have reported a further hole that appeared in the pavement at Rushy Lake and the cause is being looked into. On Rushy Lake, a local resident reported the highways fence next to a pavement had been knocked down and was causing a hazard on the ground. This was reported to PCC and am currently dealing with whose responsibility it is. I believe it’s the responsibility of PCC as this fence was erected when the new road layout was introduced at Rushy Lake. I have a meeting planned on site next week with PCC to establish responsibility. During the beginning of June I was approached by Welsh Water stating that they required space to do maintenance work at their station at Beddoes Court. The easiest access point was coming through the access point at the side of Tesco and utilising the loading bay to carry out this work. I then wrote to Tesco looking for the best time for this work to be carried out and that I will pass on the details to Welsh Water to finalise. I will state that the loading bay doesn’t belong to Tesco, it’s a loading bay for businesses in close proximity. This was to ensure that the disruption was kept to a minimum, whilst this essential work was carried out. I have been approached by a disabled group and two local residents concerning access on the pavements on the Strand. It was pointed out that pavement and the drop curb access was severely blocked by a local business that keeps on filling the space outside their large shop. Upon investigation you could clearly see pedestrians and mobility scooters on the road. I have asked PCC StreetCare team to look at this. StreetCare called in and made the business aware of their responsibility and that access had to be kept clear at all times. Since their call the issue has vastly improved and access is being maintained. During the month Councillor Cormack and I had a meeting with the local PCSO’S operating in Saundersfoot. We walked around the village and discussed many issues that concern local residents. This was a very productive meeting and we were both reassured that there will be a far more visible Police presence in Saundersfoot over the summer period. If any resident has concerns, please let Councillor Cormack or myself know. I only had the chance to do one litter pick in June. On this occasion I was joined by Julie Davies and we both walked the Ridgeway, up to Fan Road, down past St Issell’s church and back down Church Terrace. It had been reported that the Ridgeway needed attention. After picking this area we can report that the Ridgeway was limited to a very small number of items. The main issue is not the pedestrians. Once you get onto the Fan Rd, it’s clear that the rubbish we’re picking up is coming from vehicles on this road. It’s always the case when there are no houses around, unfortunately. This didn’t faze us both and we eventually picked up 5 bags of rubbish, mainly between start of Fan Rd and Whitlow estate. Thanks to all the residents who have reported the green van at the bottom of Bevelin Hill. I have reported this to the Police and PCC. It appears to have been abandoned and has been parked up for a long period of time. PCC Enforcement is chasing the owners and will look to remove the vehicle after a period of time. There are a number of noisy drain covers that rattle when driven over. I was invited to attend an event organised by Saundersfoot Rotary that was Cawl for a Cause in aid of Saundersfoot Playgroup. The money raised would go to enhance the outside space for children in the community. The playgroup is the provision of childcare for preschool children ages 2 to 5 in the village. The event was held at the Hean Inn and was a fantastic success with just over £600 raised. Thanks to Suzannah of the Hean and all the volunteers from Saundersfoot Rotary. It has been a struggle for some of the residents lately as the cash machine outside Tesco has been out of order, along with the cash machine on Saundersfoot Harbour. I did chase the manager at Tesco who was already dealing with it for a number of weeks and thanfully has now been fixed. I have spoken to Saundersfoot Harbour regarding the eye sore, that was their cash machine and have been informed that this will be removed in the near future. Whilst driving up the Ridgeway to Fan Rd, it is clear that a property opposite North Close has a hedge that has probably grown into the road as much as 6ft. This has caused numerous issues for local residents and this has been reported to PCC. I would imagine as this is a private hedge, the owner should be given the opportunity to make sure it doesn’t impede the highway. I will chase this up again this month. During June, I have been in contact with residents of Whitlow estate regarding their concerns of the finished heights of the gardens that back onto their properties. With this in mind there will be a follow up meeting in July, onsite with Morgan Construction to look at all the residents concerns. Lastly I have spoken to numerous residents and the owners of the beach Saundersfoot as they have raised issues regarding BBQ’S, unfortunately these are being left on the beach and can cause inconvenience if they are left unattended as they sometimes retain their heat. Please read the signs on BBQ’s at the beach if you have any concerns.
Events
On Sunday 8th of July, Saundersfoot Community Council are organising a village litter pick. This will start at 8am and everyone is welcome to attend and bags and pickers will be provided. Please meet at Saundersfoot Bowling club. Litter pickers welcome and refreshments supplied.
On Saturday 12th of July, Activity Wales will be holding the Wales Swim Run. It will be starting at Freshwater East and finishing at Saundersfoot harbour. This will be a gruelling swim /run where they will swim 7 kilometres and run 26 kilometres. (THERE ARE NO ROAD CLOSURES)
On 26th July, Saundersfoot Harbour will be hosting Sunset Cinema – MAMMA MIA. On 31st July Pirates of the Caribbean – Curse of the black Peal will be shown and tickets are available on line at Saundersfoot Harbour.
July 12th 13th & 14th SaundersFEST will be holding a musical festival on the village sports field. This is the third year this event has been run with many charities and organisations benefiting from this fantastic event. Well done to the SaundersFEST committee for all your hard work over the last year and to Saundersfoot Sports club for facilitating & supporting another event in our village. Tickets are still available on line and all hoping for another great event and weather to match the fantastic success last year.
On Sunday 14th the Regency Hall will be holding a FREE “Daytime Fever” for over 30’s, financially supported by SaundersFEST with donations on the door for Alzheimer’s & Dementia charities.
Saundersfoot Rotary will be providing a traditional Hog Roast at SaundersFEST and will be organising Duck races on the following dates 21st & 28th of July from Saundersfoot Harbour. They will also be holding a Sand castle competition on 31st of July in the village. Members of the Rotary are also doing a charity walk to Narberth on Thursday 18th July in aid of Prostrate Cymru.
Bollards
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved who have given up many hours to paint the street furniture around the village. An incredible 98 bollards, over 25 lamp post have all been rubbed down and painted to brighten up parts of the village. I would also like to thank all the artists who have come forward with offers to paint and bring life into the BT boxes which were looking rather grubby around the village. The artwork and time gone into this has been excellent and has certainly gone down well with the local residents. To date an incredible 542 hours has been donated by hard working volunteers in our community and I have invited the Chief Executive & leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, to Saundersfoot on August 5th to personally thank all those involved who have donated their time over the last few months. Thanks to Suzannah of the Hean Inn and Lloyd of Stay Pembrokeshire who kindly donated the paint for the local artists.
Saundersfoot Harbour
The harbour will be running a number of cinema nights over the summer holidays, starting with Mama Mia on 27thJuly, quickly followed by Pirates of the Caribbean on 31st July and then The Greatest Showman on 9th August. The events will be held on the deck and Absolute bars will be there ready to serve refreshments.
The High Ropes will be operating through the summer holidays, come along and have a go – no need to pre-book. A new addition to the Harbour will be Pirate and Mermaid workshops at the Schooner. These workshops will run throughout the summer holidays for Children to enjoy. The Harbour Team have been busy preparing our planters for Saundersfoot in Bloom. There are hanging baskets to be added to the harbour over the next week. Lastly the ATM/phone box on the harbour has not been working for some time and has become unsightly in its appearance, BT have confirmed that it will be removing the structure in the next couple of months.
Coal Trucks
During the last 5 years there has been a proposal to highlight the impact coal has had on Saundersfoot. It is widely known locally, that Saundersfoot wouldn’t look like it does today without our Coal Heritage. The Strand, Harbour, Coppet Hall are just some examples of our history and the village would look completely different without Saunderfoot’s ability to mine and export the rich anthracite around the world. The interpretation of the Village history is key for future generations of residents and visitors. Unfortunately the original plans were put on hold due to the Covid pandemic and the arrangements that were in place with Saundersfoot Harbour to enhance the Sensory Garden are no longer there. In addition with the additional costs of supporting one of the community public toilets, Saundersfoot Community Council does not have the necessary resources at present. The proposal on the table was to form a small group within the village to look closely at our heritage and produce a structure of coal trucks in the village. Currently there are three potential places for these trucks to be placed and the key is to involve as many stakeholders as possible and that they are placed in the best place possible that suits the village. It was important to have Saundersfoot Community Council, Saundersfoot Heritage Group, Saundersfoot Bay Heritage and Regeneration Trust, Saundersfoot Harbor, Hean Castle Estate, along with Saundersfoot in Bloom to work together on a workable plan for the village. The purpose of this new committee, is to scrutinise the detail of the trucks and that they are in the most prominent position, that they appear to replicate our history, that the garden design shows off the heritage and we source as much information and detail as we can. It would also offer the opportunity to source original artefacts that could enhance the display, which are all around our community. There should also be display boards that detail our history along with photographic evidence to support this. I’m confident that with the committee in place this could be accomplished. We currently don’t have anything like this on view as you walk around the village and some residents and visitors are unaware of our mining past. Having the correct detail on these signs is paramount and I’m delighted that both Heritage groups in the village will be part of this committee. I fully appreciate that this project will incur costs and I have been reassured that funds are in place to take this forward. This will be discussed at the next full council meeting for Saundersfoot Community Council and hopefully you as residents can express your thoughts on this.
Village Sign
I received a number of queries regarding the new sign placed at the top of the slipway at the start of the month. I did believe the sign was too big but was important to display the safety information for users of the beach. This sign highlighted the safety issues when visiting the beach along with a detailed map to show the dog enforcement areas. The sign had to be at the top of the slipway, making it visible for all to see. Since its erection I did speak with other landowners and PCC to see if the sign could be moved or made smaller as it did block the view of businesses. PCC agreed for the sign to be reduced and all the information remained in place but brought down to a sensible height but was still visible to all. The other comment came from a concerned Saundersfoot Community Councillor, stating that on this sign above Saundersfoot, was the name Llanusyllt. He pointed out that this wasn’t the Welsh name for Saundersfoot. In the meantime I looked into this and have included the following to help. I believe the name Llanusyllt specifically related to a settlement around St Issell’s church. On that basis Saundersfoot is certainly not a translation from the original Welsh, which would have been the name for the settlement/hamlet near the church and probably dates back to well before there was any settlement/village by the seaside. However, I believe Saundersfoot is within the Parish of St Issell’s and that may be enough to justify the name Llanusyllt. If you look our neighbouring town of Tenby, in Welsh it’s called Dinbych – y – Pysgod . We all know this isn’t the Welsh name translated but means “ little fortress of the fish”.
Cllr Chris Williams
Saundersfoot South