Latest news with #NewportCouncil
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pop-up picnic park disrupts popular Parkrun in Newport
A pop-up picnic park in Newport's Riverfront area has unintentionally disrupted the city's popular Saturday Parkrun, drawing concern from runners and community supporters. The temporary installation overlaps the Parkrun starting line, leading to the cancellation of this week's event and raising uncertainty about future runs until the site is removed in early September. The park was part of a city centre enhancement led by Newport Now, in partnership with the local council. While the area is intended for residents to enjoy outdoor leisure, its placement has prompted frustration over perceived lack of planning and consultation. Runners have voiced disappointment, citing the mental and physical benefits Parkrun brings to hundreds of participants each week. There are also concerns that relocating runners could lead to unnecessary car travel and higher carbon emissions. Organiser Simon Cawthorn described the move as thoughtless and called on Newport Council to reconsider the setup. He urged the importance of protecting community-driven fitness initiatives that contribute to public health and cohesion. He said: "Hundreds of people get health and mental benefits from the Parkrun, this action by the council is thoughless and selfish, they have not used due consideration when setting this up and will bring disappointment to hundreds of people, not to mention the impact on the environment when all these runners have to get in their cars and drive to different locations to do their weekly Parkrun." Despite the setback, both Newport Now and Parkrun representatives remain optimistic. Discussions are underway to find a workable solution before next weekend's event. The site, while temporarily reconfigured, is part of a much larger public space that regularly accommodates festivals and activities. With some route adjustments or revised layout, it is believed the pop-up park and Parkrun can coexist. For Simon Cawthorn, the situation highlights the need for better coordination between event planners and community organisers. Newport City Council says it remains committed to finding a solution. A spokesman said, 'The Riverfront Parkrun is a welcome addition to the city centre activities. We want it to continue and believe it can be accommodated even with the temporary pop-up park in place as there is a lot of space around it.' Meanwhile, the picnic area was a big hit with Jayden, his twin sister Ellie, and their friend Kylen-Jay. Asked if they were bothered about disrupting the Parkrun, Ellie smiled and said, 'No! This is more fun.' Their dad, Lee, enthused, 'We came from the cinema and found this — the kids love it.'
South Wales Argus
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Newport City Council 'thoughtless' over Parkrun cancellation
The temporary installation overlaps the Parkrun starting line, leading to the cancellation of this week's event and raising uncertainty about future runs until the site is removed in early September. The park was part of a city centre enhancement led by Newport Now, in partnership with the local council. While the area is intended for residents to enjoy outdoor leisure, its placement has prompted frustration over perceived lack of planning and consultation. Runners have voiced disappointment, citing the mental and physical benefits Parkrun brings to hundreds of participants each week. There are also concerns that relocating runners could lead to unnecessary car travel and higher carbon emissions. Organiser Simon Cawthorn described the move as thoughtless and called on Newport Council to reconsider the setup. He urged the importance of protecting community-driven fitness initiatives that contribute to public health and cohesion. He said: "Hundreds of people get health and mental benefits from the Parkrun, this action by the council is thoughless and selfish, they have not used due consideration when setting this up and will bring disappointment to hundreds of people, not to mention the impact on the environment when all these runners have to get in their cars and drive to different locations to do their weekly Parkrun." Despite the setback, both Newport Now and Parkrun representatives remain optimistic. Discussions are underway to find a workable solution before next weekend's event. The site, while temporarily reconfigured, is part of a much larger public space that regularly accommodates festivals and activities. With some route adjustments or revised layout, it is believed the pop-up park and Parkrun can coexist. For Simon Cawthorn, the situation highlights the need for better coordination between event planners and community organisers. Newport City Council says it remains committed to finding a solution. A spokesman said, 'The Riverfront Parkrun is a welcome addition to the city centre activities. We want it to continue and believe it can be accommodated even with the temporary pop-up park in place as there is a lot of space around it.' Meanwhile, the picnic area was a big hit with Jayden, his twin sister Ellie, and their friend Kylen-Jay. Asked if they were bothered about disrupting the Parkrun, Ellie smiled and said, 'No! This is more fun.' Their dad, Lee, enthused, 'We came from the cinema and found this — the kids love it.'
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Calls to revamp Newport city centre as shops boarded up
Research by Centre for Cities found that Newport has a retail vacancy rate of 19 per cent, more than double London's 8.5 per cent. The study also found that nearly 5 per cent of high street expenditure escapes Newport and is spent in neighbouring Cardiff. This is due to low local spending power, an abundance of retail space, and retail spending leakage to bigger cities. Natasha Asghar has called for a major city revamp (Image: Office of Natasha Asghar) Natasha Asghar, South Wales East Member of the Senedd, has called for an urgent revamp of Newport city centre. She said: "Newport has a lot to be proud of and is a fantastic city, but it is clear more needs to be done to revamp the city centre and increase footfall. "Businesses in Wales are operating under extremely challenging conditions having to contend with the highest business rates in Great Britain and the hike in National Insurance contributions. "It is imperative that the Labour Welsh Government and Labour-controlled city council put their heads together and come up with a meaningful strategy to fully regenerate Newport and unleash our city's potential." One of the prime examples is the Wildings centre, which has remained shut since 2018. Wildings has been boarded up in Newport city centre for years (Image: NQ) The Centre for Cities report recognises a significant drop in the number of empty units since the last report in 2022 but highlights an issue that distorts the true picture, according to Newport Council. The statistics are significantly impacted by the oversupply of retail properties in the city centre. Newport has the largest amount of retail space per head than any of the other 62 centres featured in the report. This means that while the number of occupied premises is similar to some other places, including high-performing retail centres such as Milton Keynes, this is masked by the oversupply of commercial units. Newport Council leader Dimitri Batrouni says the council are determined to transform the city centre (Image: NQ) Newport Council leader, Councillor Dimitri Batrouni, said: "We absolutely agree that the number of retail units in the city centre needs to be reduced as the centre is too big for present-day demand. "The challenge is that city centre properties are mainly privately owned, sometimes by absent and neglectful landlords, and it will require significant investment to achieve a reduction. "However, we are determined to transform our city centre to be fit for the 21st century." The report also highlights the increasing footfall figures. In the first quarter of this year, it was 10 per cent higher than in the first quarter of 2019, before the pandemic and the sharp rise in online shopping. John Griffiths MS has said Newport needs more tools to improve the city centre experience (Image: NQ) John Griffiths, Member of the Senedd for Newport East, said: "High streets across Wales and the rest of the UK are all going through challenging periods and Newport is no different. "But I am pleased Welsh Government is backing our town and city centres – through schemes such as the Transforming Towns fund. "There is always more to do – and I would like to see some changes around compulsory purchase orders, so councils such as Newport have more tools to improve the overall city centre experience." The Welsh Government announced a consultation on plans to change business rates in Wales in May, giving smaller shops a lower rate, with the consultation running until August. A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We co-funded the recently approved Newport City Centre Placemaking Plan through our Transforming Towns Programme. "This sets out a strategic vision to transform Newport's city centre into a vibrant and thriving destination. "We know our towns and city centres bring people together, sustain local economies, and underpin communities' sense of pride, heritage and belonging. "That is why we have protected budgets for our Transforming Towns Programme, with £40 million available for 2025-26. "This funding will help breathe new life into these spaces and develop our town centres as locations for a range of services, beyond retail." Jayne Bryant MS has welcomed recent investment into Newport, including the refurbishment of Newport Market (Image: NQ) Senedd Member for Newport West, Jayne Bryant MS said: "Newport, like any other high street across the country, is navigating a challenging and transformative period. 'As the Member of the Senedd for Newport West, I welcome investment in the city centre, including the refurbishment of Newport Market, the redevelopment of Market Arcade, and the new Leisure & Wellbeing Centre that's under way.' 'It takes time, bold decisions, and sustained investment to deliver lasting regeneration. We are firmly on that path, the impact on Newport is already visible in rising footfall, thriving independents, and a continued sense of pride in our city.' The Centre for Cities calls for £5 billion in public investment to remodel struggling city centres. The report recommends that the government treats city centres as critical parts of the national economy and allocate £5 billion of its recently announced £113 billion investment to remake city centres with more office space, improved public realm, and fewer shops. It also suggests that cities increase the size of the catchment of their city centres through building more homes in inner-city locations, as opposed to more developments on the edge of town. The report also advises that cities should be realistic about visitor strategies and should prioritise making city centres attractive to residents first, as visitor appeal will follow.
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- South Wales Argus
More than 1000 fake Labubu dolls confiscated by Newport Council
A crackdown on the grinning dolls took place last week where officers confiscated approximately 1,289 counterfeit dolls. A fake Labubu doll with a loose eye (Image: Newport Council) Genuine Labubu toys are made by Chinese company Pop Mart and have skyrocketed in popularity. Trading standards have warned that fakes, which are often much cheaper than the real thing, can be extremely unsafe and are a potential risk to small children. Over 1000 fake Labubu dolls confiscated by Newport Council (Image: Newport Council) Councillor Mark Spencer, Newport City Councils cabinet member for communities and sport, said: 'We want people to be really careful and to make sure they buy their Labubu dolls from a reputable supplier. If it seems too good to be true, then it is probably a fake. 'I would like to thank our officers for their part in taking potentially dangerous items off the streets. They can give advice to businesses and try to work with them before taking enforcement action. "However, businesses must make sure they are not stocking or selling fake Labubu dolls or we will take action.' The counterfeit items seized by trading standards are set to be destroyed.
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Fourteen 20mph roads in Newport could revert to 30mph
The maximum speed limit on 14 roads in Newport is set to be changed back to 30mph from 20mph.A review of the Welsh government's 20mph speed limit was announced last year following a public default 20mph speed limit, covering 37% of the Welsh road network, was brought in by the Welsh government in September this year, Newport council said 16 stretches of road could revert back to 30mph. Transport Minister Ken Skates previously said the decision to reverse parts of the controversial £34m default 20mph policy was in response to "consistent" concerns raised by "a lot of people".Last July, the Welsh government gave councils more flexibility to assess the "movement" and "road characteristics" of specific routes, beyond just proximity to schools, hospital and other key March, the maximum speed limit on four busy roads in Cardiff was changed back to 30mph from 20mph, and in February it was announced more than 50 stretches of road in Wrexham would revert to comes as the data for the first year of the policy showed there had been about 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on 20 and 30mph roads. Newport council invited residents to nominate roads they believed should have been exempted from the Welsh government's decision to lower the nation's default speed limit to of the public offered any objections or comments on those proposals, and the council received a total of 12 representations, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.A new report shows that after further consideration of the objectors' claims, the council decided two of the original 16 roads would remain at 20mph. One was a stretch of Caerphilly Road between Bassaleg and Rhiwderin, which an objector said now felt "safer for pedestrians".The council said a lower speed limit was "appropriate" for the road, which has "narrow footways" and was an "established walking route to school".The other road to remain at 20mph is a section of Usk Road to the east of objector also raised concerns the route was "well-used" by schoolchildren and people accessing the council said people "would feel unsafe about using the established route to walk to school safely" if the speed limit was increased to 30mph along a road which "carries a high pedestrian footfall, including young vulnerable children and the elderly". The council said "valid" objections were made in relation to other roads, but it judged those cases met the government's criteria for exemptions, meaning they may be changed to 30mph speed were a part of Bettws Lane, George Street Bridge, a part of Lighthouse Road, Tredegar House Drive, a part of Tregwilym Road, and Wharf were no valid objections to council proposals to introduce 30mph speed limits on the other roads - namely a part of Bassaleg Road, Duffryn Drive, Duffryn Way, Frederick Street, Morgan Way, a part of Royal Oak Hill, Wern Industrial Estate, and a part of West Nash Rhian Howells, cabinet member for assets and infrastructure, is expected to approve an officer's recommendation later this week to proceed with the speed limit changes on the agreed 14 stretches of announcement by Newport council follows a decision by Denbighshire and Monmouthshire council to reject calls to raise the default 20mph speed limit on a number of roads in the counties.
