A NEW indoor bike storage facility is opening in Newport city centre next month in a bid to encourage more people to use bicycles.

Newport charity The Gap Wales is opening the facility at 24 Skinner Street, which will provide an indoor, secure place to lock bicycles with 24/7 monitored CCTV

The unit will be run by the London provider Spokesafe in partnership with the Gap Wales charity with support from Newport City Homes and Welsh Government funding.

Mark Seymour, project manager at the Gap Wales, is developing several city-wide projects to help with the regeneration of Newport.

He said: “It’s great and a positive edition to Newport, people can cycle in lock their bikes in the city centre without risk of theft.

“It will encourage people to travel into the city by bike, as it reduces pollution and congestion and encourages people to travel actively.

“Cycling provides good mental health and exercise, it's zero cost and it is part of Wales’s ambition to encourage active travel and to help the environment.”

Spokesafe is the first of its kind in Wales and will be situated underneath the old passport office, Olympia House, with access to registered users only.

For the first year the business will charge £1 per day for pay as you go access, with a locker included.

Other membership options include £5 for weekly access, £17.50 monthly, and £14.50 for a corporate membership. The space will hold up to 40 bikes.

“It is being run as a non-for-profit business," said Mr Seymour. "It’s going to be cheaper than the bus and parking if it has high occupancy, we will keep the prices reasonable.

“This enables people to lock their bikes in a warm, dry, lit and safe environment and its safer for people to leave their bikes there rather than on the street.”

On-site toilets, repair toolkits and pumps will be available at the space when it opens during the middle of November.

Alongside opening Spokesafe, Mr Seymour is partnered with the Housing Justice Cymru to develop a local hosting scheme as part of the Welsh Government’s nation of sanctuary plan.

The hosting plan will help provide a warm space for people fleeing the war in Ukraine and other countries for a few nights to a few months in hosts homes.

He added: “We hope people can help us continue to extend a warm Welsh welcome by offering to host someone who finds themselves nowhere to sleep."