A new £5million development in the heart of Saundersfoot is nearing completion - thirty years after part of the site was damaged by a massive gas explosion.

Miraculously, there was not a single injury from the blast which happened at around 7.45am on Sunday October 17, 1984, but the village’s VG Stores was blown to smithereens and the adjoining historic Cambrian Hotel badly damaged.

Reconstruction eventually restored the buildings, but ‘The Cam’ has stood empty since it ceased trading in 2006.

Now the new Cambrian Quay development which will transform the centre of Saundersfoot, is due to be completed by November.

Four apartments with two or three bedrooms, together with a coach house and two retail units will be located in the Cambrian Hotel building, which has had its traditional frontage brought back to its former glory.

At the rear of the site, fronting Cambrian Terrace, are eight four-floor townhouses with either four and five bedrooms.

Prices for all the homes range from £380,000 to £410,000, and six have already been sold.

The development is a joint venture between DAW (Saundersfoot) LLP, Waterstone Homes, Actoris Developments and Bridgend-based construction form St Brides Limited.

Said Matt Bryant of Actoris: “We are delighted to breathe life into this landmark building that is at the heart of the village. With six of the new homes already gone, we are certain the development will be fully sold out and bursting with activity very quickly.

“To provide a corner for Saundersfoot’s future ambitions to be a premium destination for tourism is a great achievement for us.”

Added Andrea Gardner, sales manager at Waterstone Homes: “The Cambrian Quay development is a unique scheme, due to the historic foundations it is built on.

"The hotel is an iconic part of the village, and it is wonderful to renovate it into a residential and retail space for homeowners, tourists and businesses to enjoy."