Financial support for Haverfordwest’s museum has been agreed as it faces leaving its current premises while regeneration works are carried out at the castle.

Levelling up funding of around £17million is being spent on the town centre including the Haverfordwest Castle site, the former jail building and Governor’s House which Haverfordwest Museum currently occupies.

The museum will need to leave the Governor’s House while work is carried out at the castle and has requested the Pembrokeshire County Council covers the fixed costs of the museum during that time – around £8,300 a year.

A report to cabinet on Monday, September 5 states that any payments should be considered as a grant for which cabinet approval is required and that Haverfordwest Town Council is the lease holder.

Deputy leader Cllr Paul Miller said that Haverfordwest Town Museum were active partners and had been supportive of the work planed for the area, adding “they need to move during the redevelopment period and we need to support them to undertake that temporary relocation.”

Head of leisure and cultural services Mike Cavanagh clarified that the £8,300 was a yearly contribution with work on the project expected to last more than two years and if costs were less the amount contributed would also reduce.

He added that the museum hoped to set up a “pop up shop in the town and we would like to help them to do that” with a separate application to be made regarding that, and the potential to use some of the shop to showcase the regeneration work underway.

Members approved the funding to “support the delivery of the LUF flagship heritage attraction project”.