A lack of investment by Pembrokeshire County Council towards maintaining Tenby’s harbour has been labelled ‘criminal’ by one of the seaside town’s county councillors - leading to parts of the ‘picturesque’ area becoming an ‘eyesore’.
In taking aim at the Local Authority’s lack of ongoing TLC for the harbour, county councillor for Tenby’s North Ward Cllr Michael Williams has sent correspondence to PCC’s streetcare manager Marc Owen calling once again for urgent improvements to the area.
Cllr Williams has long called for work to be carried out, especially to some of the historic arches and garages along Penniless Cove Hill that lead all the way down.
“When will the eyesores of these arches be addressed? They now are an awful blot on the harbour and need urgent attention,” stated Cllr Williams, who also called for the ‘rundown’ looking shelters in the gardens above to be removed.
Some years ago, Tenby Civic Society expressed concern at the condition and appearance of the doors in some of the arches, stating that they were ‘clearly ripe’ for an upgrading project.
“Tenby harbour has totally lacked any real capital investment for many years, and yet we see a continuing rise in fees for users,” continued Cllr Williams.
“I have asked Officers and the Cabinet Member to look again at installing a usable gate on the sluice. Currently it is a waste of space, and if an access is provided could be a catalyst for a major improvement offering safety to vessels in bad weather and an ideal mooring for visiting yachts.”
Works to make the sluice more 'user-friendly' were given the thumbs up by town councillors prior to Covid, with members told of an application from PCC for the replacement of stop logs with sluice control, which would ‘protect and enhance’ the area, as improving the amenity of the harbour.
However, £128,000 of funding from Welsh Government earmarked to carry out improvements seemingly slipped through the net, and the plans never came to fruition.
A recent meeting of Tenby Harbour User's Association, hinted that such plans could be revisited, and that the organisation would provide PCC with all relevant paperwork to start the process of looking for new sources of funding to pursue.
“This harbour is a listed building and deserves enhancement from an aesthetic and financial point of view. It should be noted that the failure maintain a listed building is a criminal offence,” added Cllr Williams.