HAVERFORDWEST could see a new market taking place once a month on Castle Square if plans funded by a heritage grant come to fruition.

Plans for a fact finding mission costing £3,000 to establish a new market in Pembrokeshire’s county town were discussed by Haverfordwest Town Council at their meeting on Wednesday, November 21.

Councillors heard from Cllr Chris Evans that this new market could fill Castle Square and even the surrounding streets depending on its popularity, with a focus on giving Pembrokeshire’s artisan craftspeople a place to sell their goods.

Money for the project would come from the Townscape Heritage Initiative Complementary Fund.

This £100,000 pot of money has been set aside by Pembrokeshire County Council for projects which could compliment renovation works to the historic centre of Haverfordwest.

Cllr Evans broke down the costs of the planned application, while asking councillors if they approved the application for funding.

He said £1,500 would be spent to take a delegation of town councillors, local business owners and other interested people on two fact finding missions in the New Year to Uplands Market in Swansea and Abergavenny Market, both of which are run with help from local community councils.

Another £1,500 would be spent on fees for a consultant to advise the town council on a market for Haverfordwest.

The town clerk, Juliet Raymond, said councillors should make sure the application was credible, as though the pot of money needed to be spent and was outside the town council budget, the visit to the two markets needed to be justified.

Cllr Alan Buckfield asked whether the council could find a cheaper consultant to give advice on the market.

Cllr Evans said the consultant he had in mind helped to set up Uplands market and was an expert in the field, but Cllr Buckfield suggested other options should still be explored.

Cllr Jonathan Collier described the project as a “no-brainer” because the THI complementary funding needed to be spent.

Cllr Jenny Morgans raised concerns the new market could interfere with the town’s current farmers market, but Cllr Evans said it would take place on a different day of the week and would not focus on food like the farmers’ market.

Councillors approved the application, which was submitted to Pembrokeshire County Council’s THI scheme for approval.