A filling station acquired by Top 50 Indie Ascona back in 2021 is set to be dramatically updated, with the firm planning to add 14 new holiday lodges and 10 caravan pitches to the site.
The Forge Service Station in Saint Clears, Carmarthenshire, adjoins the A40 seven miles to the west of Carmarthen and 30 miles to the east of Haverfordwest. The site already features a restaurant and small holiday park split across a handful of chalets, together with an indoor pool and sauna, while an established four-pump forecourt and shop face the westbound carriageway of the main road.
Ascona is set to demolish the forecourt, describing this in planning documents as “run down”, while the kiosk as it stands is “relatively small”. The firm will erect a new filling station and shop in their place, with the latter being roughly three times the size of the current structure, and wearing Nisa Local fascia. A new HGV filling point will also be built as the current arrangement is “poorly positioned”, while the old underground fuel tanks are being replaced.
Back in August 2024 Carmarthenshire granted permission for Ascona to rebuild the forecourt and redevelop the holiday park, but the firm, which has 62 sites in its portfolio, has decided to offer more holiday lodges and fewer caravan pitches, so has resubmitted plans to the authority.
The revised plans still include the forecourt replacement, plus an extended holiday park complete with a new playground, and amenity building featuring toilets, showers and a laundrette
Rather than build 33 caravan pitches and four chalets, however, Ascona is now seeking to erect 10 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom lodges, with the number or caravan pitches cut to 10 to make room for the additional chalets.
Darren Briggs, Ascona Group’s chief executive, said his firm is ”incredibly excited to bring forward these proposals”, and that they represent “a significant multi-million investment in the local area”.
Briggs added that the development ”will enhance the site’s long-standing role as a convenient and welcoming stop for visitors and local customers alike”, and that “while the current facilities have served the community well, they are ready for a refresh”.
