A council scheme to build 24 affordable homes for the elderly at the site of the former Motor World building in Milford Haven has been submitted to planners.

W B Griffiths & Sons Ltd, on behalf of Pembrokeshire County Council, is seeking approval for the construction of a new residential redevelopment to comprise 24 affordable apartments for the elderly at 70A-80A Charles Street.

It is proposed to build 21 one-bed apartments and three two-bed apartments at the four-five storey building, along with a communal residents’ lounge on each floor, 10 on-site parking spaces, soft landscaping and trees.

The proposed building will be four-storeys from Charles Street to the north and five-storeys from Barlow Street to the south due to the change in topography from north to south.

The former Motor World site was cleared in 2018 to enable redevelopment, with planning permission granted on the site for the development of 15 affordable apartments for over-55s in 2020.

The area had been an eyesore for several years before demolition; former councillor Stephen Joseph saying at the time the flats scheme would fill “a great big ugly hole in the town centre that’s been there a long time now,” adding at the time: “The previous building was an eyesore.”

The latest application, submitted through agent DPP Planning, follows a public consultation earlier this year.

In its new supporting statement, it says: “In March 2023, Pembrokeshire County Council re-tendered the scheme to a number of contractors based on the original scheme, but with a revised brief to increase the number of dwellings. This initiated a significant material amendment to the scheme. The new brief increased the number of apartments from 15 to 24 to be achieved within the footprint of the original scheme.”

“The design proposals aim to place a new building within Charles Street which respects the existing character of the street in terms of form, scale and materials, but which also delivers a building, which is immediately recognisable within the street through its design quality and the sense of place it creates.”

The application will be considered by planners at a later date.