A hospitality development at Pembrokeshire County Council’s new Western Quayside development in Haverfordwest is to open in less than two months’ time.

Hospitality company Loungers intends to occupy the ground floor of the building with the Waldo Lounge, part of the council’s long-term regeneration plan for the county town.

Waldo Lounge will be open all day, every day for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and drinks, including full kids’, gluten-free and vegan menus, and will open on Wednesday, November 20.

Loungers, founded in 2002, runs Lounge café bars across the UK – including the Cofio Lounge at the Guildhall, Carmarthen.

Gemma Irwin, Head of Community at Loungers, said: “We’re so looking forward to opening the doors of Waldo Lounge in November.  We hope our family friendly environment and top-notch food and drink offering will prove popular with local residents.

“We’re passionate about integrating genuinely into the communities we serve so we’re looking forward to meeting everyone and to playing our part at the heart of Haverfordwest’s food and drink scene.  Anyone looking for a space to host events or groups should pop in once we’re open, we’d love to hear from them and see what we can do to help.”

Pembrokeshire County Council Deputy Leader Cllr Paul Miller said: “It’s great to have confirmation the Waldo Lounge at the council’s Western Quayside Development will open ahead of the busy Christmas period.

“Western Quayside is a key part of this council’s wide-ranging plans for regeneration in Haverfordwest to boost footfall in the town centre for the benefit of all businesses.  How Loungers plans to integrate the Waldo Lounge into the local community is exactly what we want to see for the County Town.

“We want Haverfordwest to always be an attractive place to live, work and visit and we wish Loungers every success in Haverfordwest.”

The three-storey riverside building, on the site of the former Ocky White department store, hit the headlines in 2022 with the unexpected discovery of hundreds of human remains delaying part of its construction.

Construction work commenced in 2021 by John Weaver Contractors Ltd, and the project was originally expected to be completed in early 2023.