Haverfordwest is to get a new restaurant after Pembrokeshire County Council approved a licence for the former Bellini’s restaurant in High Street.

The new premises, which is set to open this week, will bring a new type of dining to a town which has few restaurants.

The Black Sheep will use mainly local and seasonal produce, including meat from the owners’ Aberdeen Angus cattle and free-range pedigree Welsh pigs.

Andy Appleby and Ann Kilvington, originally from Cardiff, have lived in Clarbeston Road for three years, and are excited about bringing a new restaurant to the town.

Andy said: “Our main thing will be steak, fish and shellfish, although we will also make pastas and pizzas using traditional Italian ingredients.

“We are going to be slightly different — we use our own cattle which have been hung for four to five weeks and as much locally-sourced produce as possible.

“The steak will be cut here on site and we will do the old fashioned cuts, like porterhouse.

“We are not going to be too stuffy and our specials will be special, so if woodcock is in season, we will have woodcock on the menu. Now it is oyster season, so we hope to have oysters on offer.”

The council’s licensing sub-committee heard there had been no local objections to the licence and concerns raised by other parties, including Dyfed-Powys Police, were withdrawn following mediation.

The police were concerned that another outlet for alcohol was being planned within the cumulative impact area of Haverfordwest town centre.

Once it was clarified that the intention is to operate as a restaurant and not a public house, no further representations were made.

A letter from the police licensing officer, Tony Davies, states that this is on the condition that “the retail of alcohol will be secondary and ancillary to table meals”.

Other conditions imposed by the licensing authority are that the use of any external areas by patrons will be between 10am and 11pm, Monday to Sunday, and between 10am and 9pm on Sundays.

In addition, the movement of bottles, beer and barrels and refuse containers within external areas will not take place after 10pm or before 8am.

“The kitchen will be open from 10am to 10pm and it is all our ideas, our recipes and our concept,” Andy added.