Pembrokeshire County Council is struggling to find businesses that are willing to lease a site where 240 skeletons were found, and that is being redeveloped for £12m to breathe new life into Haverfordwest town centre. The council hopes to open a food emporium, a restaurant, bar and roof-top terrace at the Ocky White development. Deputy leader Paul Miller revealed that while the council had received “a positive number of expressions of interest”, no contracts had been signed yet. It was originally due to open at the end of 2022 but the discovery of the ancient remains pushed up costs by about £2m.
The remains of more than 240 people were unearthed in October 2022, including children. Archaeologists believe the ruins are from St Saviour’s Priory, which was founded in about 1256, and one expert called it a “window into medieval Haverfordwest”. It is believed that the graveyard could have been used until the early 18th century. The council’s deputy leader mentioned during a meeting that they were a “bit behind” on finding businesses. The aim is to open the facility in summer 2024.
Mr Miller said a mixture of local and national businesses had expressed interest and discussions were now at a “more formal stage”. He added that the £12m budget for the development included fit-out costs for the building and the contracted work had been completed on time. The next stage of the project is due to start shortly. Conservative councillor Diane Clements said that she was hoping that contracts had been secured by now. The council said that the original budget was £6m but costs had gone up due to coronavirus, the war in Ukraine, and last year’s archaeological discovery
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