A FORMER Newport eyesore could become a nature haven after plans announced today herald a summer of work and community events.

The once-abandoned dual carriageway near Coedkernew, the infamous 'Road to Nowhere', made headlines on several occasions for piles of fly-tipping visible from space.

However, the site has begun its long-awaited makeover after more than 20 years of illegal dumping of waste on the land.

The newly cleared Road to Nature is now beginning to flourish – and plans to transform the space into a natural haven have been announced today, with further works and community events beginning from tomorrow.

Since early 2020, Newport City Council has worked in partnership with Fly-tipping Action Wales and members of the local community to tackle the fly-tipping.

Measures including the installation of CCTV cameras have resulted in a number of fly-tippers being caught and fined.

The council and partners have removed 650 tonnes of waste from the area.

The team has achieved a recycling rate of 85 per cent when disposing of the waste – and managed to remove more than 1,800 tyres from the site.

Once the majority of the waste had been cleared from the land, a litter pick was arranged by the Friends of the Road to Nature: a group set up by local residents Caroline Antoniou, Helena Antoniou and Sue Colwill.

The group are now working hard to ensure the plans they have to transform the land become a reality.

Ms Antoniou said: “We can’t wait to see the site develop into a green space for biodiversity support and community engagement.

“We’re kicking off the summer of transformation with a step building session and litter pick on April 1, and plans are now in motion to transform the site into a clean and green landscape for wildlife to flourish.”

The Friends of the Road to Nature are hopeful that the site will give the public increased opportunities to benefit from access and interaction with nature in this proposed new green space.

Ms Antoniou said: “Long-term, we hope to add benches on the Road to Nature giving members of the public the chance to sit and socialise while enjoying the surroundings.”

Pamela Jordan, senior fly-tipping officer at Fly Tipping Action Wales, said: “We’re proud to see the community working together to continue site clearance and develop the space for public use. We’re especially proud to have recycled 85 per cent of the waste which had been fly-tipped on the land.”