St Davids versus Goliath as town wages a new war of independents
come here from further afield because it’s not like Cornwall – there’s no chains, it’s unique. That’s why people come here and that will stop. It’s a double-whammy on our economy: if Premier Inn comes they will displace people from other hotels and B&Bs and at the same time ruin the unique selling point of the city – that it’s not like everywhere else.”
The strength of feeling in the group is palpable. Graham Perkins, a local farmer, speaks more directly about the economic impact.
“In the winter businesses here hang on by their fingernails, they barely survive. There’s no need for this hotel, and the community do not want it. It’s not a viable business plan because occupancy levels are so low in winter. Some hotels and B&Bs have closed over the years and I’ve heard the argument put forward that this hotel will just replace those. That’s rubbish, those businesses closed because there was no need for them.”
Laura adds: “Speak to people in the city – you won’t find one person who says they want the hotel to be built here.”
But is that true? In the centre of St Davids, we asked. “Excuse me? Could we ask you for your views on the proposals to build a Premier Inn here?”
Bad idea. Won’t fit here. There’s no need for it. The same answers again and again. Even tourists who have visited for the first time laugh at my suggestion that a 63-bed hotel could soon be built a matter of yards away from where they were standing. Inside a typically independent shop, I may be getting warmer. The owner reveals that there are people in the city who are in favour of the plans.
Discussing the scale of the division the issue has caused, the owner does not wish to be named but says some of the dialogue used in the debate has turned “nasty”.
“It’s difficult for me,” the shop owner admits. “My business relies on tourism but I also have local customers, and I don’t like the fact that this issue has split the town. People on both sides have been very aggressive and quite nasty about it. If I had to go one way or another I’d be against it, but it’s not worth falling out with people over – it’s not life or death.”
Lots of door-knocking and walking into shops suggests most people