The development of Hubberston Fort could present significant opportunities for the Milford Haven area, but the challenge is to ensure that any future use is able to cover the considerable renovation costs. This was the conclusion after Alec Don and Jeff Teague from Milford Haven Port, owners of the fort, welcomed Stephen Crabb MP and Paul Davies AM to the site recently (18 November) to discuss the current status of the building and what future development plans might look like.

A tour of the fort was given by Mr Don, chief executive at the port, which highlighted the difficulties facing any development of the site. He acknowledged the strong feeling in the community about the fort and concerns about its future. "The encouraging thing about this visit was it showed that we all want the same thing - a suitable, safe and sustainable use for the fort going forwards. What we want is for local campaign groups, who want, like us, a future for the fort, to come up with more ideas."

Mr Crabb commented that it was very helpful to see the full extent of the fort and its grounds. "It is a remarkable construction full of historical, architectural and environmental interest. The local campaign group have done a superb job in raising awareness of the Fort's potential for the whole community. I hope that it can be renovated and turned into a heritage site open for visitors. But the financial challenge in doing so must not be underestimated."

Mr Davies added: "It was extremely interesting to be shown around and truly amazing to think of the hard work and effort required to build such a structure all those years ago. Of course, various possibilities have been talked about to potentially utilise the fort in the future. It will be very interesting to see how matters progress and I would be keen to support any suitable plans."

This was the second private tour given by Milford Haven Port, who invited Save Hubberston Fort campaigners to the site on 13 July 2011.