Daylight streams through a gutted ceiling onto a mess of rubble. This is the sad sight of a listed building in Haverfordwest High Street which once housed the iconic Baker's dress shop.
The formidable pile of planks, paint pots and even tree-like foliage looms several feet high. This depressing sight is on offer to anyone with the morbid curiosity to peer through the windowfront, though stepping backwards does little to improve the view. The grimy exterior is wizened with cracks, while poles support a part-broken bay window. A few months ago one of the three-storey site's window-frames crashed onto the pavement from a height.
The building stretching across 7, 9 and 11 High Street is among the last timber-framed medieval houses in the town, according to its Grade-II protected listing. Its owner is Harry Nicholas Heywood, a 56-year-old entrepreneur whose biggest business made a net profit of almost £1.9million last year.
This is not Mr Heywood's only prominent disused property in the town centre. The developer and footwear tycoon owns two rows of shopping units near the corner of High Street and Market Street. Most are empty. He has a 999-year lease on one of Haverfordwest's most recognisable buildings, the former Shire Hall courthouse — also empty for years.
Some locals are unhappy with Mr Heywood's influence on the town. Recently ranked the eighth worst high street in the UK, Haverfordwest is seeing £30million of investment from Pembrokeshire County Council in its town centre, including a new marketplace at Western Quayside. The council has described a strategy of buying " big swathes of land owned by remote owners " in an attempt to "force change" — but there are now calls for action at the 'Top Town' end of the High Street.
"People don't want to walk past a load of closed shops at the top of the High Street to get to the ones on Market Street," said Lindsey Macfarlane, who has lived in Haverfordwest for 30 years. "The poor Market Street traders are on a hiding to nothing. The town is literally cut in half. I think it's got to the stage of a compulsory purchase order, certainly on the old dress shop."
Amanda Evans, who runs the Homeless Pembrokeshire charity in Top Town, questioned the council's pledge on remote landlords. "It feels like their head is buried in the sand when it comes to [Mr Heywood's properties]," said Ms Evans, who has been "horrified" to see the large former Baker site rot away while many people in the area are facing hidden homelessness and sofa-surfing.
Mr Heywood is the sole director of Brand International Group, a clothing and footwear wholesaler based in Watford. According to last year's accounts the company made a net profit of about £1,895,000. He also owns Red Dragon Developments, which last year made a £112,000 net profit, as well as an estate agency.
We have obtained Land Registry documents showing that Mr Heywood, of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, owns a significant chunk of Top Town — 6, 8, 10 and 12 Market Street and 7, 9, 11, 13a and 15 High Street. Most of the shopping units have been empty for years, some with varying levels of dirt, cracks, tired paintwork and broken windows. Near the corner are two premises in use — a salon and a Chinese takeaway — but these spaces are not owned by Mr Heywood.
When it comes to Mr Heywood's rows — which he bought at some point before 2009 — the only two ground-floor spots being used are 8 and 10, though you would be unlikely to know it from walking past the windowfronts, which are covered with adverts for the Pembrokeshire coast. A spokesperson for Mr Heywood said the space is being used by a charity for storage.
The old dress shop has been empty for decades, but from a Google street-view of the outside, appeared to be in better condition in 2009 before becoming steadily more dilapidated. From about 2011, what looks like a picture of the Grim Reaper spent a few years behind the window.
"When the properties were taken on they were derelict and occupied by drug users," Mr Heywood told us. "A total of 16 flats were created, all of which have been occupied, helping with the local housing shortage. The commercial units have been a problem. When we finished the refurbishment number 15 won an award from the Haverfordwest Historic Society for best shopfront [when occupied by Emrys Art Supplies]. Since then however, local business owners have been devastated by out of town shopping and online buying, followed by two years of Covid restrictions leaving many units unoccupied.
"With the exception of 7 to 11, the commercial units have all been occupied at some point... Sadly, the empty shops have been a target for vandalism. The local drug addiction problem results in destructive behaviours that local police have been unable to control or prevent."
The Market Street addresses were redeveloped in Mr Heywood's Commerce House project. Once home to the biggest department store in west Wales, the old Commerce House fell into disrepair and engineers deemed it unsafe. Mr Heywood bought the site and the council approved his plans for demolition in 2004, before he developed a new building with nine flats, now all let or sold.
"The new building, mostly comprising flats, that replaces the old one stretches over the old medieval crypt, another aspect of the town’s heritage which has sadly been lost, despite the local authority suggesting that this wouldn’t happen," the historian Mark Muller wrote in 2016. Although we understand the crypt is not publicly accessible, Mr Heywood said it remained intact and adhered to planning requirements.
Then there is the developer's involvement in Shire Hall, further east on the High Street. Built in 1837, the grand former courthouse heard many major cases before closing in 2003. The council then leased Mr Heywood the Grade II-listed site on a 999-year contract with no rent, though he tells us there was a price for the lease. "Pants" was the verdict from Haverfordwest Civic Society when plans for a restaurant were announced, slamming the "wasted opportunity".
"All over Wales are examples of former courthouses being retained in their glory and being used successfully," the society wrote, complaining that the scheme failed to allow access to the historic courtroom. The restaurant plans were not a success. Mr Heywood said two sets of tenants "absconded after a rent-free period, so it was decided to sell the property to recover the very considerable costs spent on the building". The leasehold has been on the market since 2019 for £2,395,000.
Amanda Evans, of Homeless Pembrokeshire, couldn't believe the "terrible" state of the former dress shop when she recently looked inside. "[The council] are concentrating on regenerating the Riverside but this end of the town we're not seeing anything," said the 55-year-old. "There used to be a hive of businesses up here. They've slowly gone."
After the window-frame blew onto the pavement in March, Ms Evans complained to the council. The following month the council said engineers had visited several times and although the building was "aesthetically in poor condition", they found "no signs of imminent structural failure". Its spokesman said the owner would be "reminded of their responsibility to keep the property in good condition" and would be "recommended to remove the remaining windows and board up".
This stance was a source of frustration for Labour Councillor Thomas Tudor, who represents Haverfordwest Castle. "Just having it structurally safe isn't good enough," he said. "It needs to be structurally and aesthetically adequate for the county town of Pembrokeshire. We need something better than what's there."
Mr Tudor said he "constantly" heard complaints from locals about many of the town's buildings being in a poor state. He recently filed a motion calling for the council to use its powers to act on long-empty properties, including notices demanding urgent improvement. He said he had been told the council would use "all the available powers to get the owners to comply and take responsibility".
Hitting out at the eyesores in Top Town, long-time Haverfordwest resident Lindsey Macfarlane said: "I think there is a very big question to be asked of the council. Why has it accepted this situation? This is a conservation area. I live on Tower Hill in a listed building. I am not allowed to change my windows, not allowed double glazing. So why do I live by one set of rules?"
The carer, in her mid-50s, added: "Baker's dress shop was very well-known for decades. It was an icon, very trendy. For generations people have loved shops like this. There's layer upon layer of history. All of those shops [in Top Town] used to have something in them. There was a continuous presence of business up the High Street.
"There needs to be some kind of annual fine for any property holder in a conservation area who has a property in disrepair. Everyone driving up the high street is faced with a multitude of appalling-looking properties. It's disgusting. Even Shire Hall was looking tidy but could now do with a coat of paint. There is an air of depression."
Harry Heywood's response
Mr Heywood said the top of the street was an "ongoing problem for the town". He added: "The numerous properties in that area are owned by various people, me among them." The developer pointed out the foliage inside 7-11 High Street was not a tree and would be cleared "when there is enough to fill a skip". The property had been deemed safe by a council engineer, he added.
"Commerce House was taken on when the old building had fallen into Market Street which had to be closed as a result," said Mr Heywood. "The site was purchased in a formal council disposal process on the basis that a new replica building took its place . This was done and again was mentioned at the Historic Societies annual general meeting in 2009, being praised as a 'dramatic success'.
He said the corner units were "shells waiting to be fitted out for any prospective client" but there had been no interest. The crypt was repaired and left intact during the redevelopment "exactly as the council required", he added.
"For Shire Hall there was a prolonged purchase procedure and the lease was sold for a premium with a peppercorn rent thereafter on the proviso that it was converted exactly as it was. The building was leased to the Black Sheep restaurant but this failed leaving significant debts. Subsequently two sets of tenants took over, both of whom absconded after a rent-free period so it was decided to sell the property to recover the very considerable costs spent on the building. The market for hospitality venues remains extremely difficult.
"As landlord of Shire Hall, the council visit and inspect. As for council tax all council tax has been paid including any penalty council tax due. The council have invested in the Riverside and drawn lots of activity to the area. Despite the town’s traditional role as an important market town, the council has not found a purpose that invigorates the 'top of town’ for the future, which we need to keep the place alive. This is in common with other market towns across the country.
"All commercial properties are available for interested parties to rent or purchase with the exception of Shire Hall which is now only available to purchase. Hopefully, market conditions will improve and make the commercial element of these buildings viable. It would be ideal if the Welsh Assembly [Government], via Pembrokeshire County Council, saw fit to assist potential tenants to regenerate the High Street, perhaps with more up-to-date uses. This needs to be done with a coherent plan, one owner alone cannot do this.
"Pulling together is the only way we can survive. Pulling us apart with rumour and speculation will hasten our demise. Some time ago there was a suggestion that the long term lease for Shire Hall could be purchased with crowdfunding, something that a publication like WalesOnline might like to get behind."
Asked the reason for the old dress shop's dilapidation, Mr Heywood said: "This property was the subject of a THI (Townscape Heritage Initiative) grant but THI were unable to proceed. The property was enveloped and is pending a revised scheme."
What the council says
WalesOnline asked Pembrokeshire County Council on June 8 what action it was taking on the long-empty properties. Following publication of this article, the council provided a response on June 16.
Its deputy leader Councillor Paul Miller said: “Recognising the touch macro-economic climate generally, but specifically for retail, we're still very much in the phase of working with vacant properties owners. To support them make use of their properties be that through consenting, through grants or through supportive intervention and investment programmes.
“I am clear, however, that some property owners will begin to see more of the regulatory side of the council should they be unable or unwilling to play their part in the town’s improvement — despite that support being offered. I won't comment specifically in respect of individual property owners and the circumstances of deals reached under previous administrations that I was not party to but I am dealing with the hand I was dealt in relation to Haverfordwest and I'm absolutely determined that we'll deliver a brighter, more prosperous future for the town."
He added: "While not naïve to the scale of the challenge I've been clear that we, as an administration, are determined to transform the fortunes of Haverfordwest, together with a number of other key Pembrokeshire town centres. To that end, in just the last few years, we have invested tens of millions of pounds, money predominantly sourced through grants, into the town centre of the County Town.
“We've strategically acquired property where remote ownership was causing difficulties and where opportunity presented itself. Projects are on site right now to; restore and enhance Haverfordwest Caste and to link the castle directly to Bridge Street, to create a landmark food offer at Western Quayside, to develop a new transport interchange project — designed to make it easy and convenient to visit the town — and to install a new signature bridge across the Cleddau right in the heart of the town centre.
“In addition to our direct interventions, we've provided millions in grant funding to property owners to enhance their properties and we are currently developing a revised policy approach to our town centres through our replacement Local Development Plan which will, in more peripheral town centre locations, allow property owners to convert unused retail and commercial space into much needed residential use."
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