New museum takes shape at Pendine

CONCRETE has been poured for the new Sands of Speed Museum in Pendine, and the steel frame is on its way.

It is being built alongside a 42-bed hostel as part of a £7 million project to attract more visitors to the area.

The frame panels for the hostel will be erected shortly as work continues over the coming months.

A drop-off area for coaches will be created and the existing car park reconfigured.

It has been a busy summer for Gayle Bosier, whose Marsh Stores business is down the road from the development, and she expects footfall to increase when the museum and hostel open.

“I can’t see it from my back garden – they’ve got all the scaffolding up,” she said.

“As a shop (owner) I’m excited. It will bring a lot more people to the area.

A member of staff at Beach Shack Gift Shop said: “We can’t wait for it to be done. They’re cracking on with it.

“It’s going to add so much to Pendine.”

Carmarthenshire Council, which is leading the development – known as the Pendine Attractor Project – is contributing £2.5 million. The remainder is coming from the European Union (£3 million) and Welsh Government (£1.5 million).

The council has bought and demolished a bungalow for better access to the site, which is expected to welcome its first visitors in the latter half of 2020.

Pendine’s Museum of Speed, which was constructed in the 1990s, has also been flattened to make way for the new building.

The seven-mile Pendine Sands played a starring role in early motoring history – specifically the land speed records in the 1920s by Malcolm Campbell and Welshman John Parry-Thomas, who died during an attempt in 1927.

It still plays host to land speed events and is regularly used by production companies.

The museum and hostel will sit alongside the seafront Parry Thomas Centre, which has commercial units and first floor takeaway restaurant.

One of the units at the Parry Thomas Centre will be home to E-Type Jaguar specialists Lanes Cars Workshops Ltd, which is an agent of RBW Electric Classic Cars.

Speaking earlier this year, council leader Emlyn Dole said: “This is an exciting scheme which will put Pendine front and centre as a major holiday destination, further strengthening the economy of the area and providing much-needed jobs.”

Pendine Community Council’s clerk Chris Delaney said: “The new museum and the whole development is important for this community not only to celebrate our exciting motoring heritage, but also to provide an attraction and facilities.”