Newport WORK has started in Newport city centre as the Cambrian development gets under way.

The council-owned Cambrian multi-storey car park closed on December 31 so Scarborough Development Group could begin work on the major redevelopment.

A seven-storey office block will replace the existing shopping centre and the 500-space car park, which will be demolished, with additional plans to build shops and a hotel.

On its completion, the insurance company Admiral is set to move its Newport base from Langstone to the new site, bringing hundreds of workers to the city centre.

A spokeswoman for Newport Council told the Argus last month: “Together with the Friars Walk shopping and leisure scheme, due to be completed in 2015, these are vital strands of the city centre’s regeneration. While it’s acknowledged there will be some disruption in the short-term, it’s believed these projects and the massive investment in the city centre will bring lasting, long-term benefit.”