YESTERDAY’S City Summit was a great opportunity for businesses, community leaders and those with a real interest in the future of the city, to get a taste of what is in store for Newport over the coming months and years.

We had some great speakers including Ian Edwards, chief executive of the Celtic Manor Resort and the International Convention Centre Wales, David Buttress, executive chairman of The Dragons, Dr Wyn Meredith, director of the Compound Semiconductor Centre, Damon Rands, of leading cyber security company Wolfberry and Clare Johnson, head of cyber security at the University of South Wales.

I would like to thank all of them for their inspiring and positive presentations at the fifth, and best attended, city summit.

Newport has always been a great place to do business and there is a real confidence and interest being shown in the city at the moment

We also used the occasion to launch the wider consultation on a proposed new masterplan for the city centre.

Revitalisation of the heart of Newport has been taking place for a number of years and there has been significant progress. Friars Walk was successfully delivered, and has been a catalyst for other developments, but is only one piece of the regeneration work.

The Welsh Government-funded Vibrant and Viable Places programme transformed some landmarks into new homes, businesses and spaces.

However, we know there is still more to do and, against a backdrop of continuing austerity, we are committed to working with the private and third sector on innovative projects that will build on that success.

Why do we need a masterplan to achieve our ambition of further regeneration?

For many years, people have been critical of “piecemeal” redevelopment. This is mainly because the city centre does not have one owner but a multitude, with different interests and priorities.

As a council, we think there should be a coherent vision for the city centre, setting out a framework for further developments, which will make it attractive and resilient for many years to come.

We are already working closely with businesses and external organisations to deliver schemes but we believe the masterplan will bring other property owners and investors on board as they see properties could be put to more beneficial use.

The vision is underpinned by six objectives - to make the city centre welcoming, connected, diverse, making the most of its riverside location, and made up of quality places – with three areas of focus: a northern gateway, the city core and the riverside.

Some projects are already in the pipeline, such as proposals to redevelop Chartist Tower and Pobl’s scheme to transform part of Commercial Street, and can be achieved in the short term, while others will take longer.

What we are doing with the consultation is opening the conversation and we want as many people to join in with positive, constructive viewpoints on how to enhance the city centre.

Please take part in the consultation, and find out more about the masterplan, by visiting newport.gov.uk/haveyoursay