Pembrokeshire Council launch scheme for first-time buyers
Homebuy Pembrokeshire, funded by the Second Home Premium, seeks to alleviate the difficulties buyers face when trying to enter the property market.
In Pembrokeshire, significant differences in property prices across the county can render many areas inaccessible for first-time buyers.
House prices can continue to serve as a hurdle to home ownership, even after a deposit has been saved and mortgage access secured.
Homebuy Pembrokeshire, organised by Pembrokeshire County Council, aims to dismantle this barrier by offering a loan of up to 30 per cent of the property's value to contribute towards the purchase.
This loan is interest-free and is secured against the property in the form of a legal charge, with its value linked to the property's current market value.
The scheme applies to open market properties in the county, with extra support available if the buyer chooses to purchase an 'empty property'.
Michelle Bateman, cabinet member for housing, said: "The launch of Homebuy Pembrokeshire is part of the administration's commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing of all tenures.
"We know that there are barriers which prevent people being able to move onto the housing ladder, and we hope that with this support we can give first-time buyers an opportunity to own their own home.
"The scheme is part of a wide range of measures being taken to address the housing crisis, including our development and acquisitions programme, leasing scheme Wales and support for those wanting to bring empty properties back into use."
Homebuy Pembrokeshire demands all applicants demonstrate a local connection to the county to qualify, as part of the initiative's goal to support local residents.
An initial £1 million has been set aside to run the project, with repayments on loans to be reinvested to further expand the county's affordable housing programme.
Those interested in finding out more about this scheme, or the application process, can visit Homebuy Pembrokeshire's web page or reach out via email at affordablehousing@pembrokeshire.gov.uk or call 01437 764551.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Pembrokeshire Herald
15 hours ago
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Welsh Government unveils plan to strengthen protections for ancient woodlands
AN UNSUCCESSFUL call for no confidence in Pembrokeshire's deputy leader has been labelled 'an abuse of a democratic forum for personal promotion,' but its instigator has said he has no regrets. At an extraordinary meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council on June 2, Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy called for no confidence in Councillor Paul Miller to remain as Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member. Cllr Murphy had made the call, which was ultimately unsuccessful, partly due to comments made by Cllr Miller at an April meeting of the council's Cabinet in which he moved an amendment with regards to Welsh Education Strategic Plan (WESP) to request officers collect data from parents of children electing a Welsh medium education. A bone of contention for Cllr Murphy was when Cllr Miller commented with regards to parental choice for Welsh medium school Ysgol Caer Elen: '…all of them that I know who send their children to Caer Ellen honestly couldn't give a toss whether it was Welsh or English'. 'Comments such as this in 2025 are unacceptable and serve to create a perception of bias when it comes to the delivery of Welsh medium education, something that generations have striven for, namely equality and fairness,' Cllr Murphy has previously said. 'For a Deputy Leader of Council to make such comments and then refuse to retract when he has had ample opportunity to do so makes his position untenable both as Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member. The matter was reported to the Welsh Language Commissioner and was called in to the May Schools O&S Scrutiny Committee, ultimately returning to a May 21 meeting of the Cabinet, hearing a proposal by Cllr Miller to now collect data on all languages and additional information, before the special extraordinary meeting of June 2. Responding at the special meeting, Cllr Miller repeated previously made comments, saying there had never been an intention to collect the information through a formal schools process. He reiterated the 'couldn't give a toss' comment was one made by a mother in his ward which he had repeated, apologising if he had caused upset. He added: 'I believe Cllr Murphy should be deeply ashamed of his actions, he is trying to create division in the county of Pembrokeshire where no division exists,' adding: 'To suggest that either I personally or the administration is anti-Welsh is simply not true.' He was not the only one to take umbrage at Cllr Murphy's call, with Conservative Group Leader Cllr Di Clements saying: 'This is nothing more than petty political point scoring which we want no part of,' and council leader Cllr Jon Harvey saying it was 'creating division where none exists and political opportunism at its worst.' The no confidence call in Cllr Miller was defeated by 28 votes to 16, with 11 abstentions. There are 11 Conservative Group members in the council. Commenting after the meeting, Plaid Cymru county councillor for Tenby, Cllr Michael Williams who said he 'in no way condoned Cllr Miller's comments,' described the meeting as 'a complete waste of time and money'. He added: 'Cllr Murphy seems to think Local Government is a game and submitted absolutely no arguments to support his motion.' He went on to describe it as 'a pathetic waste of time,' saying: 'I hope lessons will be learnt, but I doubt they will. It amounted to an abuse of a democratic forum for personal promotion.' Cllr Murphy said he still felt he had made the right call, saying Cllr Miller 'never once showed contrition for his comments'. He added: 'The fact Cabinet have now been compelled to amend their position through the call-in and Welsh Language Commissioner's intervention shows the value of these challenges as otherwise Cllr Miller would be requesting data from less than 20 per cent of Neyland parents for wishing to send their children to Caer Elen over the 80 per cent sending their children to Haverfordwest High or Milford Haven which would suggest clear bias against Welsh medium education. 'As Leader of Independent Group I have no regrets in requesting a call in and then an EGM and if such behaviour is repeated by Cabinet members it won't be the last time such a meeting is requested under the constitution. Neither did we canvass support from any other political group.' He finished: 'The fact the Conservative Group, through abstaining, threw Cllr Miller a lifeline will not be lost on Pembrokeshire voters who will draw their own conclusions on such a decision where the Conservatives have effectively supported Labour and the administration on this issue.'
Western Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Proposed wind turbines could tower over Bluestone resort
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, High Wycombe-based Slebech Investments Limited seeks permission for three wind turbines of up to 100 metres height on land at Newhouse Farm, Canaston Bridge, close to the two parks, and close to the border with Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The proposed site on agricultural land across three fields is some 3.5 kilometres from Narberth, and would be accessed from the A4075 via an existing track opposite Bluestone Resort's service entrance, some 350m south of the main roundabout entrance to Bluestone. The formal application follows an earlier screening request submitted to the council in February, and details of the proposal being sent to local county councillors, community councils and residents. The three 1MW turbines, if granted, would generate electricity equivalent to powering 1,900 homes, the applicants say; power connected to the grid, but explorations are underway for its potential use by local businesses. A supporting statement through agent Sirius Planning said: 'The footprint of the proposed development is modest in scale, with the wider fields and landholding able to continue to operate with minimal impact from the proposal. ' In addition, ecological enhancements implemented in recent years within the landholding will not be impacted by the proposed wind turbine development. The overcall context of the site is rural with the site surrounded to the south and east by agricultural fields and woodland areas. 'To the north is PBE Fuels, Bluestone Resort head office (The Grange) and Newhouse Farm. To the west are agricultural fields and the A4075, beyond which is Bluestone Resort, comprising holiday lodges and leisure amenities, and Oakwood Theme Park. A ground-mounted solar scheme is located to the south-west of the site beyond the A4075.' If granted, the scheme would take some four months in construction, the statement says, with approximately 354 deliveries to the site. It is anticipated that a public consultation event will be held during the planning process, the applicants have said. In the initial screening application, Sirius said the turbines could be used to provide power for Bluestone Holiday Park Resort and/or Oakwood Theme Park. Since the initial application Oakwood has closed, but proposals for a revival have recently been mooted. On that screening application, Sirius said: 'There are no designated or non-designated features within the application site which are protected for their landscape and scenic value. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park lies to the north and west beyond the Bluestone Resort and Oakwood Theme Park. 'The landscape character already incorporates existing wind turbines and other large vertical structures, such as Oaklands [sic] Theme Park rollercoasters which are existing detractors within the landscape.' On Companies House, Slebech Investments Limited, of West Wycombe Park Office, West Wycombe Park, lists two directors: Sir Edward John Francis Dashwood and Lady Lucinda Nell Dashwood. The proposals will be considered by county planners at a later date.
Pembrokeshire Herald
a day ago
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Pupils with additional needs thrive at inclusive Aberystwyth school
Politicians, tv celebrities and national farming icons are all gathering forces to help safeguard a north Pembrokeshire school that's threatened with closure. For almost 200 years, Ysgol Clydau has taught children living in, and around, the village of Tegryn. But now, following a 34% drop in numbers, its classrooms could be closed for good by the end of the next academic year. Now, in a full-on effort to save the highly respected school from closure, a campaign is being endorsed by some of Wales' most prominent entertainers including the Welsh Whisperer, Gareth Wyn Jones and local politicians Ben Lake, MP, and Senedd Member Paul Davies. Meanwhile, a petition launched by concerned parent Sarah Farnden has already secured over 800 signatures in just two weeks. 'This just proves the strength of feeling that we have here in north Pembrokeshire, where people are prepared to do everything they can to save Ysgol Clydau from closure,' said Iwan Ward who is the local county councillor. 'But it's not just the children at the school who will be affected – the entire community in and around Tegryn is going to be hit. You only have to look at other villages which have lost their local primary schools, and you'll see that the majority of their residents are retired. Young families are choosing not to live there because the villages no longer have schools.' There are currently 36 children on Ysgol Clydau's register which represents a 34% enrolment drop from 2015 to 2025. As a result, Pembrokeshire County Council's School Modernisation Working Group has recommended a statutory consultation on closing Ysgol Clydau. 'It doesn't add up,' continued Iwan Ward. 'There's a school in Carmarthenshire which has only eight pupils, and this school has been told that it needs to attract an additional 10 or 12 children to remain open, which will bring it up to 20. Yet here we have Tegryn school with 38 pupils threatened with closure, and this figure is expected to rise with plans to build 30 affordable mixed housing units in the area which will obviously bring in more young families with children.' Cllr Ward believes that if the local authority's proposal is implemented, up to 50% of Ysgol Clydau's pupils will choose to be educated at home. 'And this is something I strongly disagree with,' he said. 'Many parents choose to teach their children only what they want them to learn rather than a wider, more all-embracing education. 'And the children are also in danger of missing out on a lot of social awareness and communication skills.' A recent Estyn inspection described the school as being 'happy, caring and welcoming' while its teaching standards are, according to Iwan Ward, exemplary. 'Its ALN support (Additional Learning Needs) support is absolutely first class – you really couldn't find better, and a lot of children are benefitting hugely from this. But if those children are suddenly made to go to a much bigger school, in this case Ysgol y Frenni in Crymych which has class sizes of around 30 children, they're going to feel lost. 'Ysgol Clydau is a real family concern where its teachers know the children's quirks, their strengths and their weaknesses, and these can all be taken on board in how the children are taught. 'To take all this away from them and to take the heart of the village away from Tegryn is unacceptable. 'Parents are starting to worry about whether they should be pulling their children out of the school now, before the consultation takes place in September, or should they continue in Ysgol Clydau hoping that it doesn't close the following July. Unfortunately these are questions I can't answer. 'Let's start fighting, and show the county council exactly how strongly the community feels about ensuring that Ysgol Clydau remains here in Tegryn, where it belongs.'
