PEMBROKESHIRE County Council’s regeneration plan for Haverfordwest’s Riverside shopping area is now out of its hands after its bid to buy the site was rejected.
In response to Haverfordwest councillor Tim Evan’s question “is the deal dead in the water?” members of the policy and pre-decision overview and scrutiny committee heard that another offer for the site had been accepted.
Cllr Bob Kilmister, cabinet member for finance, said on Tuesday (January 21): “The current situation is that the bid on the Riverside has been awarded to someone else. They’ve rejected the council bid but we are talking with the prospective developer to see if council can do anything with them.
“As it stands we will not be buying the Riverside development.”
Pembrokeshire County Council had been discussing with private company Fairacre for the purchase of the Riverside Shopping Centre with a view to developing it.
Last year cabinet member for economic development Cllr Paul Miller approved the appointment of consultants, including a project lead, an architect structural engineer, a cost consultant and a building services engineering, to draw up plans for its purchase and development, with estimated costs for their services totalling £120,000.
This followed earlier work by a project manager and two consultants in January 2019, to create a business case for the council to take over the shopping area.
The Riverside area of Haverfordwest, said to be key to the regeneration of the town, is described as two distinct parts: the northern part consisting of the buildings surround Wilko, which is planned for development as a cinema and restaurant complex, and the southern retail area consisting of 27 shops.
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