IT’S been a ‘will it, won’t it’ saga for years.

But finally today we can exclusively reveal that Debenhams will be the department store that will complete the exciting Friars Walk development.

Yesterday we told how plans for Friars Walk now appear to be firmly back on track and look set to be approved by Newport council next week.

It includes a selection of new restaurants and cafes, six-screen cinema and a new bus station.

The project will create around 1,100 new jobs.

Key to all of this of course is a four-storey department store and filling that space will be one of the biggest names on the high street.

Friars Walk has the ability to eradicate Newport’s (often unfair) image of a place not worth visiting at night.

With Debenhams on board it will also give the city centre a muchneeded boost.

There’s no getting away from the loss of shops in recent months and the negativity that has created for the city centre.

But with such a big player moving in, there is a great opportunity to create a feel-good factor. It should make other shops want to be a part of Newport.

Maybe even Marks & Spencer may review its decision to pull out of the city centre in a year’s time.

And with new restaurants and the cinema planned for Friars Walk, this is a golden opportunity to make the city centre the ideal destination for people of all ages at night time.

Of course, there will still be the critics and the doom mongers. The people that are only happy when they can criticise the very city they live in.

Nobody could foresee the worldwide financial collapse that put plans to revitalise Newport on hold for several years. It was unavoidable.

And yes, we are still in very difficult times.

But there are people and companies who believe in Newport and know that doing nothing now will only further damage the city in the future.

With these plans in place, Newport will now have a great chance to become a fantastic shopping and leisure destination for everyone in Gwent.