Newport
We’re getting there...
The regeneration of Newport is moving apace but not quick enough for some. Business Quarter caught up with Sheila Davies, strategic director, of Newport City Council, to fi nd out what they think of how it’s all going...
A
quick trip to the centre of Newport at the moment is enough to make anyone’s
heart drop. Closed shops abound, and there seems to be a pervading feeling of gloom. Travel to lots of other cities and
towns across Britain and you’ll fi nd there are empty shops and a gloomy atmosphere. But at least here in Newport
plans are well underway to improve the offering in the city centre and Shelia Davies, of the city council, says that come back in fi ve years and you’ll not recognise the place it’ll have changed so much from what you see today. She has a vision for the city
centre which includes using the upper storeys of the buildings which line the main shopping area as residential units, bringing people back into the centre as is seen in major cities across Europe. This in turn would bring small supermarkets, cafes and restaurants into the area to service the residents and having people living and working in the city centre would help bring it back to life.
44 THEbusiness QUARTER She said: “When the plug was
pulled on the Modus scheme we decided to go back to basics. We thought ‘why are we going for a scheme which is just a refl ection of what is happening everywhere else’. “We decided not to go for
a quick fi x and we wanted to make the development become a different experience for people visiting Newport city centre rather than town and city centres around the country. “I don’t like shopping malls
but I love lovely buildings, somewhere nice to sit and eat etc and Newport is full of lovely buildings.” She said that at the time when
Friar’s Walk was mooted one of the biggest frustrations was the time taken fi ghting Iceland, which had a base in John Frost Square which needed to be vacated so the plans could go ahead but that time was put to good use getting everything in place so that when they went out to tender things fell into place a lot quicker than would usually happen. Out of the ideas came the plan to enhance the city centre into a
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