A new ‘Community Hub’ is planned for Tenby from scotiamocatta bank Watch Video

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✓ Published: 24-Apr-2024

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Tenby Town Council are pushing forward with plans to develop a venue’s vacant cafe into a ‘Community Hub’.<br/>Plans for what will feature at the hub, which will occupy the empty premises at the front of the De Valence Pavilion on Upper Frog Street, are sketchy, but the Town Clerk has said that the planned facility will introduce some essential services for the community.<br/>In the Town Council’s annual report for 2023/24 under the ‘plans for the future’ banner, it states that one of the key focuses will be on delivering a ‘front facing office’ to meet the needs of the community.<br/>As part of this plan, the Town Council has been progressing plans to make its own office more accessible by relocating within the existing De Valence building, by creating a welcoming community hub.<br/>Details have been sketchy over what exactly the hub will feature, with recent discussions involving councillors and representatives from the De Valence CIC trust being taken behind closed doors, due to the ‘disclosure of commercially sensitive information’ according to the Town Council’s recent agendas.<br/>The Town Clerk Andrew Davies told the Observer: “The council have been working closely with social and commercial partners to provide a multi-purpose Community Hub that will benefit both residents and visitors to Tenby. <br/>“This initiative will provide better public access to council staff, improved public and working space and some additional essential services for the Town.<br/>“Plans are at a mature but sensitive stage at the moment and final agreements have not yet been completed. Until then it is in the interests of all partners that details remain embargoed. <br/>“However, rest assured that the Council are working hard to close negotiations as quickly as practicable and look forward to providing you and the public with more details in the near future. <br/>“We cannot provide you with a more accurate timeline at the moment as we are beholden to various solicitors for the completion of legal drafting.”<br/>Speculation has mounted that the new hub could include some form of banking services for the seaside town, after the news that the last bank in Tenby HSBC would be closing, with a confirmation date now given as August.<br/>County councillor for the South ward Cllr Sam Skyrme-Blackhall announced over a year ago now that she was in ‘discussions’ that could lead to new banking services for Tenby.<br/>She said revealed at the time that talks were ‘ongoing’ - but the scheme she said was ‘backed by a major player in the market’ could see a new service open in Tenby that would also provide access to cash and deposit services for businesses and new banking services for the whole community. <br/>Since then however Tenby Post Office has stepped-up to fill the banking void for the town, offering a comprehensive list of vital business and personal banking services available to the community, seven-days-a-week.<br/>The De Valence cafe has been unoccupied since a Caribbean eatery left the premises last year.