Newport city centre revamp road closure plans published (From South Wales Argus)

Newport city centre revamp road closure plans published

3:10pm Saturday 27th October 2012 in Gwent news

HOW IT COULD LOOK: The most recent artist’s impression of the proposals for the Friars Walk scheme

NEWPORT residents have 28 days to object to plans to close roads to make way for the long-awaited redevelopment of the city centre.

The Welsh Government wants to make an order to close off part of Kingsway, access to Capitol car park and Upper Dock Street.

These include footpaths between John Frost Square, Usk Way and Kingsway near the disused Capitol car park, as well as Upper Dock Street from its junction with Corn Street to the junction with Austin Friars.

It also wants to improve the northbound carriageways of Usk Way and Kingsway, as well as Corn Street and Skinner Street.

This will be done to prepare for the demolition of shops in John Frost Square ahead of the construction of the new multimillion pound Friars Walk shopping and leisure scheme and new bus station.

Work on the project, which will create 1,100 new jobs, is expected to start sometime next year but no date is set.

Once complete it will include a new shopping centre, Debenhams department store and a six-screen cinema.

Restaurants and cafes will be built around a public area called Usk Plaza and outside shopping areas will be covered by a glass canopy.

A public area will be created in John Frost Square with artificial grass and plants, a new taxi rank will be created between Kingsway Centre and Newport Centre and the existing Potters pub will be extended.

A new 15-stand bus station will replace the current one and a covered walkway will link it to a second station with ten stands at Market Square.

Comments(29)

Bobevans says...
3:28pm Sat 27 Oct 12

What a suprise up pops Newport Council with news of its redevelopment

Seems they cannot even be consistant with the job numbers. Now it is 1,100 jobs last time it was 5100 , Perhaps they thought that sounded to silly

The reality is it at best will create a couple of hundred permant jobs. Most of this claimed 1,100 will just be stores relocating. Mind you they need to take the 70 MS jobs out of that figure

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Magor says...
4:09pm Sat 27 Oct 12

Whats happening with the old Sainsbury site?

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chris227 says...
6:37pm Sat 27 Oct 12

have seen old posts and stories on the old sainsburys it now lies empty with no plans for redevelopment - the police have put "police dog training in progress stickers" on it to keep people out but im sure the shell suit crowd have long since ignored them. The council gave planning permission for the new store (keen to get their hands on the increased business tax) did not think what would happen to the old store and before long im sure like all empty building it will be set on fire

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emlynkide says...
9:02pm Sat 27 Oct 12

i hope the powers to be get it right this time.

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parcel says...
11:06pm Sat 27 Oct 12

"Work on the project, which will create 1,100 new jobs, is expected to start sometime next year but no date is set"

Typical of the council, they don't like dates, as it ties em down!

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Rugby Warrior Paulo says...
12:06am Sun 28 Oct 12

"Once complete it will include a new shopping centre, Debenhams department store and a six-screen cinema." Don't forget to leave plenty of room for the charity shops.... based on them being the only trade in the 'city' centre.

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gathin says...
1:28am Sun 28 Oct 12

REALLY DON'T BOTHER!
More of our money going to waste.
Why not divvy up the millions you were going to spend of taxpayers money and hand it out to the chavs in the street? It'll be about just as much use to us poor taxpayers!

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aevs74 says...
1:53am Sun 28 Oct 12

Ah, ok so debenhams is still happening cheers!

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Welshman76 says...
10:29am Sun 28 Oct 12

Don't understand the negativity on here. People moan about how rubbish the city centre is and when there are plans to do something it is still criticised. Also a date cannot be confirmed as there could still be hurdles such as objections etc. If you are that dissatisfied about it all then move somewhere else or become more involved and try to do something about the things you are not happy about! Try becoming a councillor and let's see where your whining gets you!

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gathin says...
11:09am Sun 28 Oct 12

Mmmm democracy in action eh?
I doubt having ones snout in the trough really helps anybody apart from themselves. They should just stop wasting everybodys tax every year and make life poll-tax free. God knows there are enough other taxes- thousands at the last count.

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Howie' says...
12:45pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Bobevans wrote:
What a suprise up pops Newport Council with news of its redevelopment

Seems they cannot even be consistant with the job numbers. Now it is 1,100 jobs last time it was 5100 , Perhaps they thought that sounded to silly

The reality is it at best will create a couple of hundred permant jobs. Most of this claimed 1,100 will just be stores relocating. Mind you they need to take the 70 MS jobs out of that figure

Not sure where you got the 5,100 figure from. When I searched through the announcements for the Newport revamp it said this:

What the revamp will mean for Newport

● Four-storey department store

● Eight restaurants and cafes

● Six-screen cinema

● New bus station

● 1,100 new jobs

Strange that Bob, you getting your facts wrong again, lol.

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gathin says...
12:59pm Sun 28 Oct 12

Remind me of the banners adorning Commercial St after the golf weekend (Ryder Cup event) that said it had secured Npt £1 billion in funding. More lies from the council. They must think we're very dull!

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jd1234 says...
1:03pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I'll look forward to the artificial grass in John Frost Square! That really will be worth the wait.

Millions of pounds spent. But what about all of the empty shops already in Newport?

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gathin says...
1:07pm Sun 28 Oct 12

The town council really ran out of ideas years ago and are just riding the gravy train till eternity. Remember the big balls they put in JFS before the gold weekend then refused to say how much they cost us even after a FOI request was raised? Democracy in action haha

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Cantankerous says...
3:43pm Sun 28 Oct 12

chris227 wrote:
have seen old posts and stories on the old sainsburys it now lies empty with no plans for redevelopment - the police have put "police dog training in progress stickers" on it to keep people out but im sure the shell suit crowd have long since ignored them. The council gave planning permission for the new store (keen to get their hands on the increased business tax) did not think what would happen to the old store and before long im sure like all empty building it will be set on fire

Busines Rates are collected by the local authority and remitted to Whitehall - Business Rates do not belong to NCC!

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Cantankerous says...
3:45pm Sun 28 Oct 12

parcel wrote:
"Work on the project, which will create 1,100 new jobs, is expected to start sometime next year but no date is set"

Typical of the council, they don't like dates, as it ties em down!

Start date will be determined by the developer; NCC is not the developer!

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GwentVoice says...
9:38pm Sun 28 Oct 12

I don't think Debenhams will go to Newport now M&S are going. Perhaps Debenhams could move into the old Megabowl building.

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chris227 says...
7:35am Mon 29 Oct 12

this is the same debenhams that has been coming to newport since 2002, the council trotted out this storey on the day m & S confirmed they were going there is NO way that debenhams will want to come to newport work is to start some time next year lol

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pinpong says...
9:15am Mon 29 Oct 12

I have doubts about the development but i am willing to stay positive about it. I think that all of the councillors want this to go ahead. Why wouldnt they?
There is always so much negativity whenever anything about the city centre comes up. The only reassuring thing is that it is the same people making the comments everytime. therefore not a realistic opinion of how people feel.
I still shop in Newport and will continue to do so. Although i must admit it may be a little difficult this time to buy all my Christmas presents in town as there is not the choice that there once was.
As for Spytty. I wint go over there. Even going by car is a nightmare.

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chris227 says...
8:17pm Mon 29 Oct 12

that artists impression of the shops that will never be built is hilarious all those people walking about in jeans and skirts, like a normal town , where are all the cheap white and black shell suits ,caps and staffis.

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chris227 says...
8:21pm Mon 29 Oct 12

Cantankerous wrote:

chris227 wrote:
have seen old posts and stories on the old sainsburys it now lies empty with no plans for redevelopment - the police have put "police dog training in progress stickers" on it to keep people out but im sure the shell suit crowd have long since ignored them. The council gave planning permission for the new store (keen to get their hands on the increased business tax) did not think what would happen to the old store and before long im sure like all empty building it will be set on fire
Busines Rates are collected by the local authority and remitted to Whitehall - Business Rates do not belong to NCC!

mm so why did the council not ask what was going to happen to the old store it was probably one of the first logical questions that you would've asked especially in a town like newport with so many empty shops and offices.

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Katie Re-Registered says...
8:07am Tue 30 Oct 12

Have the Council done any scientific studies to determine whether artificial grass is as potent as real grass?

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Bobevans says...
1:04pm Wed 31 Oct 12

Cantankerous wrote:

chris227 wrote:
have seen old posts and stories on the old sainsburys it now lies empty with no plans for redevelopment - the police have put "police dog training in progress stickers" on it to keep people out but im sure the shell suit crowd have long since ignored them. The council gave planning permission for the new store (keen to get their hands on the increased business tax) did not think what would happen to the old store and before long im sure like all empty building it will be set on fire
Busines Rates are collected by the local authority and remitted to Whitehall - Business Rates do not belong to NCC!