PLANS for 179 houses to be built on a field on the edge of Haverfordwest have been submitted to county planners by one of the UK’s largest housing developers.

Persimmon Homes west Wales submitted the plans for 179 homes at Scarrowscant Lane to Pembrokeshire County Council on January 4.

The application follows a pre-application publicity announcement made by the developer in December, when 178 homes were touted to be built at the site.

The land billed for the development is an 11.6 acre (4.7 hectare) field behind Glenover House, the former Redhill School building, on Scarrowscant Lane.

The development will be known as Merlins Lane.

Homes on the estate would have between two and three bedrooms, with some semi-detached and others detached.

Some would have off-street parking in the form of internal garages, while others would have parking spaces on driveways outside the houses.

 

Persimmon's plans for the site at Scarrowscant lane.

When Haverfordwest Town Council discussed the plans in its December meeting, councillors expressed concerns about the lack of open space within the boundaries of the development.

Councillors discussed how people living in the new homes would be using nearby public land like the racecourse to walk the dog or enjoy outdoor activities.

They decided this was something which needed to be considered when Pembrokeshire County Council planners were speaking to Persimmon about a section 106 agreement, a contract where a house builder gives money or resources back to the local area.

Persimmon’s plans for Scarrowscant Lane also has room for a playground area.

Andy Edwards, director in charge at Persimmon Homes west Wales, said: “We are delighted to be pressing forward with our plans for these 179 much-needed new homes.

“Good quality, affordable housing is desperately needed right across south-west Wales, and that’s certainly the case in Haverfordwest.

“This scheme will go some way towards addressing that need so that people who have grown up in the town have the opportunity to stay there when they leave the family home.

Mr Edwards said the development could create an estimated 750 jobs in the area, based on estimates by the Home Builders Federation, which says each house built in the UK leads to an average of 4.3 new jobs.

There are records of plans to build a large housing development on the site dating back to 2011 on Pembrokeshire County Council’s website.

At the time the site was known as Glenover Fields.

An application was made by David George of Llangoedmor in 2011 to extend a time limit on construction of homes at the site, based on an earlier plan made in 2005, though there is no record of that plan.

Design documents in Mr George’s application show a similar layout of houses to those proposed by Persimmon at the moment.

Planning reference: 18/1008/PA