PLANS which could lead to Pembrokeshire County Council buying a Haverfordwest shopping centre are to come under the microscope.

In April, PCC’s cabinet member for regeneration, Cllr Paul Miller, made the decision to appoint a series of consultants who would draw up plans detailing how the council might be able to buy it and redevelop it.

These consultants included a project lead, an architect structural engineer, a cost consultant and a building services engineering, with estimated costs for their services totalling £120,000.

This followed earlier work by a project manager and two consultants in January, to create a business case for the council to take over the shopping area.

A series of county councillors have now called for Cllr Paul Miller to answer questions about the project at the next overview and scrutiny committee on May 14.

The county councillors: former leader Jamie Adams, David Pugh, Brian Hall and Di Clements, asked for Cllr Miller's decision to be called in due to their concerns about the council’s budgetary position.

A report by the director of community services recommends the scrutiny committee approves giving the council’s head of infrastructure the power to appoint the consultants.

In the report, proposals to buy the Riverside shopping centre are described as part of a larger regeneration scheme across Pembrokeshire, and is one of six key projects for PCC.

The Riverside area of Haverfordwest 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.

The shopping centre is described as key to the regeneration of the town centre, and the report says buying it is an opportunity the council should consider before “retailers vacate due to inactivity by the private sector owners.

The report also says that the new Riverside library and gallery, which the council paid for, has led to a month-on-month increase in footfall of 10per cent since it opened in November.

The overview and scrutiny committee will meet on Tuesday, May 14 at County Hall.

For more about the meeting agenda, visit

PCC's website.