The Freshwater West UK Community Renewal Fund Consultation

July 2023

Thank you to all those who attended the sand drawing event

A sand art drawing event was held at Freshwater West on July 8, with local artist Charlotte Cortazzi. The beach will be welcoming many visitors over the coming summer months, and the aim of the event was to  encourage everyone to leave no trace and help us keep the beach and its surroundings litter-free. This is particularly important for the dunes, a designated SSSI site. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who participated.

June - August 2023

Getting ready for the summer holidays

With the summer holidays fast approaching we’ve already held an early summer beach clean to celebrate The Great big Pembrokeshire Clean Up organised by Eco Dewi to celebrate Great Big Green week. To encourage visitors to ‘Leave no trace’ the next event takes places on 8 July and is a sand art drawing event with local artist Charlotte Cortazzi. We’re also delighted that Gupton Farm have introduced bell tents in one of their camping fields, enabling those who wish to visit with greater comfort to enjoy the wild environment at Freshwater West.

May 2023

New Project Manager appointed

We are pleased to announce that a project manager has been confirmed to take the Sustainable Freshwater West Project forward. This is a role that will be fulfilled on a full-time basis and work will commence in earnest in the autumn of 2023.

The project manager will use the findings and proposals from the Freshwater West UK Community Renewal Fund Consultation to inform an action plan, subject to planning permission and funding, for the next steps at Freshwater West.

February 2023

Trust staff from across Pembrokeshire plant trees

A large group of Trust staff from across Pembrokeshire came together at Gupton Farm in February to participate in a tree planting day at the Castlemartin Corse, an area in between Gupton farm and Freshwater West beach. This was part of our ongoing work to conserve and protect the landscape and wildlife in this very special place.

January 2023

Beach cleans with a message of “Leave no Trace”

Beach cleans were planned at Freshwater West for the autumn and winter months as this enables us to collect the most amount of rubbish which is annually deposited on the beach with the winter weather. Since the start of the consultation we have been using the message “leave no trace” as a way to encourage visitors to help us care and respect for this unique location. We plan to continue this for the foreseeable future. So far we have hosted 4 beach cleans, and we are planning more for the autumn so watch this space.

November 2022

Community information session held at the Stackpole Centre

A drop-in information session was held on the 10th November 2022 at the Stackpole Centre. This was attended by key personnel from the teams involved in the study, who were on hand to discuss the findings in detail.  We were really pleased to welcome and engage with a wide range of local residents who are passionate about Freshwater West beach and the environment surrounding it.

October 2022

The findings and proposals are made public

National Trust Pembrokeshire is presented with the Freshwater West UK Community Renewal Fund Consultation findings by Planning Solutions Consulting Limited. The consultation to find solutions to help balance the needs of the natural environment at Freshwater West, with everyone’s enjoyment of the beach and coastline has started to become a reality. The executive summary and final document were  made available to the public via the Trust’s website.

Thousands of members of the public responded, and National Trust Pembrokeshire issues a thank you.

February 2022

Planning Solutions Consultants Limited appointed

The Freshwater West UK Community Renewal Fund Consultation starts and is rolled out in two phases. Commissioned by National Trust Cymru with key stakeholders, Planning Solutions Consulting Limited and Planed are appointed to deliver a consultation which will consider the needs of all users to deliver a vision for a sustainable future for Freshwater West.

Engaging stakeholders and residents takes place from February onwards with an astonishing number of people participating in the consultation . PSC tell us that the response of over 5,000 to the online questionnaire is exceptional and illustrates the passion and interest the local and wider community has for Freshwater West. The study continues through the summer until August 22 when the second phase of the consultation  is complete.

October 2021 - January 2022

The search commences as funding confirmed

Funding for the stakeholder led engagement report is confirmed by the UK Community Renewal Fund

The brief for the procurement of a feasibility plan is created. The feasibility plan will shape the future management of Freshwater West based on comprehensive asset-based community and stakeholder engagement. The  search begins for a specialist organisation with specialists in engagement, economic development and communication, capable of facilitating a high-quality study.

Tender submissions ae received from a number of external third-party organisations who specialise in managing feasibility studies. Our team makes a final decision to award the study to Planning Consultant Solutions (PSC) who work in collaboration with local organisation Planed to realise the study. Concurrently we search for an independent consultant to manage the monitoring and evaluation for the study.

March 2021

Funding application commences

In March 2021 the UK Government launched a funding initiative to be delivered through County Councils with priorities for investment in skills, local business, communities and places and to help get people into employment. With the support of several key stakeholders, the National Trust applied for funding to the UK Community Renewal Fund to commission a community and stakeholder led engagement report and options appraisal that considers the needs of all users to deliver a vision for a sustainable future for Freshwater West.