Plans for Saundersfoot to reflect the seaside village’s history with coal mining are underway with a special feature being developed.

County councillor for the seaside village’s south ward Cllr Chris Williams said that there have been ‘very positive’ meetings regarding a proposed ‘Coal truck and gravel garden’ feature.

The project will enhance an area of the Sensory Garden that is affectionally known as the ‘Jungle’.

“Having four members of Saundersfoot Community Council as part of this committee is beneficial and their positive attitude has driven the project forward,” he said.

“The coal trucks will now be positioned parallel with the footpath on the harbour and placed behind the old stonewall in the current wild flower garden.”

Rails with old railway sleepers will provide a base for the structure.

Saundersfoot’s Sensory Garden which sits next to the harbour, was together with the Coal Office building built in 1860 - the operations centre of the coal industry in the area, with a coal mine at Bonville’s Court on top of the hill at the village.

“The plans drawn up courtesy of Robert Collins are excellent and I would like to thank Rob for providing this service free of charge to the community,” continued Cllr Williams.

“The original coal trucks would have been carrying coal to the ships in the harbour and are roughly 3 metres away from the original tracks that coal was carried on.

“The coal trucks have been ordered and we are still working on a timescale so that it’s less impactive on businesses in this vicinity.

“During the meeting we also discussed planting and how we can create a sea garden while also having plants that can act as a barrier when we get the strong winds coming in from the sea.

“This project has been a long time in the planning stage and having so many organisations working together is a testimony of the community spirit that Saundersfoot is renowned for.”

Saundersfoot's coal office building
Saundersfoot's coal office building (Observer pic)

Cllr Williams said that display boards will be commissioned, with details collated from local heritage groups.

“This has been discussed for many years and it will be nice to see that work could potentially start before the end of the year.

“Hopefully, when the work has been completed it will be a fitting tribute to the coal heritage of Saundersfoot.

“Our village has developed because of the coal industry when a great deal of wealth came to the area,” added Cllr Williams.