With £200,000 knocked off the purchase price, the plan for a well-known old building in Haverfordwest has gotten the go-ahead.

Pembrokeshire County Council cabinet members re-approved a proposal to buy the former Ocky White building for redevelopment, as part of a "wholesale regeneration" of the town centre.

The decision had been called in by other councillors concerned that its original £450,000 purchase price and ongoing revenue cost implications did not represent value for tax-payers money.

On Monday, October 8, Cllr Paul Miller credited the scrutiny committee for contributing to the cost reduction to £250,000, "significantly less than the original proposal."

Cabinet member for Economy, Tourism, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Miller, reiterated his plan to "proactively regenerate this area of Haverfordwest on a scale that makes a difference."

The Ocky White building could be redeveloped for offices and food emporium but "all options are on the table" and it could even be demolished.

There is a larger plan to improve the town centre including the riverside area and Haverfordwest Castle to focus on leisure offer.

"That doesn't mean retail is dead, it means the town centre needs to be underpinned by something different in the future," added Cllr Miller.

Cllr David Lloyd commended the plan for the town and said the council must "take the challenge in both hands" calling the reduction in price "tremendous."

"It's confirmation that the democratic process is alive and working in Pembrokeshire. I've no embarrassment it was called in, it's the democratic process and it worked in our favour," he added.

Cabinet member for finance Cllr Bob Kilmister referred to the purchase price as one of the key problems highlighted by the scrutiny committee adding that the new price was "considerably below" market value.

He added that a close eye must be kept on revenue costs on completion that the council "cannot afford to have."