Park Members Back Long-Term Plans For Flagship Redevelopment

Pembrokeshire’s national park is backing a near-£1m long-term hope to turn St Davids’ Oriel y Parc visitor centre into “world-class” attraction for the park.

At the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park authority meeting of July 26, members received an updated Oriel y Parc masterplan, with a recommendation to adopt the near-£1m scheme as the “long-term aspiration for Oriel y Parc,” subject to the development of a business plan and the securing of necessary funding.

In early 2022 the park instructed consultants from The Creative Core to undertake a review of the National Park Visitor Centre in St Davids to ensure “the centre aligns with the evolving vision and objectives of PCNPA, particularly in light of changes to tourism post-Covid”.

Several scenarios were presented in the masterplan report to members, with three options included: a six-month £50,000 ‘light touch’ project to “streamline and update messaging and provide an exhibitions infrastructure for staff to update moving forward,” a £350,000 12-18 month project building on the first stage to “offer an engaging visitor experience, whilst making minimal amendments to the building,” and a circa £1m two year project to “create a flagship Discovery Centre”.

The report for members stated the last proposal would offer: “An in-depth programme of community engagement and consultation will inform new permanent interpretation and temporary community exhibitions. A true blended offer will create a Civic Hub, developed with and for the people of St Davids and Pembrokeshire.”

The report added: “…without a refreshed approach and further investment the site will plateau and not modernise in order to meet changing demands (in terms of the issues facing the National Park and the needs of its customers).

“In short, doing nothing potentially carries more risks than adopting the recommendations highlighted under Option 3 in the Masterplan document.”

Members backed the adoption of ‘Option 3’.