ABOUT a month ago I moved home.

After almost three years of living in Caerleon, I'm now back (having lived there for 20 years previously) in the city centre of Newport.

I've nothing against Caerleon; it's a lovely place full of friendly people and, more importantly, pubs.

But I've missed the buzz of living in the city centre - and that buzz has increased significantly since I've been away.

I'm now settled in one of the new riverfront developments; in an apartment directly opposite the university campus and what will soon be the Friars Walk retail and leisure complex.

I won't give you my precise address, largely because my neighbours don't take kindly to mobs appearing outside their homes with pitchforks and torches.

But as I was sitting on my balcony looking out at the river (thankfully the tide was in) and the Big Splash festival on a sunny evening at the weekend, it struck me that the centre of Newport is going to be the place to be in the coming years.

And that's not just me thinking about property prices, or the fact that I'm now just a 50-yard walk to Rodney Parade.

The many thousands of people who attended the Big Splash and Maindee festivals on either side of the river at the weekend show the potential there is to make the city centre something special, with the Usk often as its focal point.

I've said many times over the last few years that Friars Walk is not a panacea but it will be a catalyst for regeneration of the city centre.

You only have to walk around the centre of Newport these days to see that what I've always thought would happen is already happening.

The transformation of the former King's Hotel to apartments is already underway. The Sports Direct and Premier Inn developments are under way.

There is only one more phase of the City Vizion housing development along the riverfront to be completed.

There are exciting plans for both the Riverfront Theatre and the Newport Centre under the management of Newport Live, the new charitable trust running the city's leisure and arts facilities.

Newport Now, the city's Business Improvement District, will be delivering a number of initiatives over the next few years to make the city centre a more welcoming place for visitors and a more profitable place for businesses.

Yes, there are still too many empty shop units in the city centre. But that will change once Friars Walk is open in November and smaller, independent outlets see the opportunity of taking advantage of the increased footfall it will create.

And more people, like me, will be attracted to living in the city centre by being able to shop, eat and be entertained within walking distance of their homes.

I have a huge amount of faith in Newport having a prosperous future driven by the regeneration of the city centre. But banging on about it in this column is not enough, which is why I've decided to put my money where my mouth is.

I suspect many people will be doing the same over the next few years.