How would you fix Newport town centre?

Local TV

Newport City Council have announced plans to help improve the city centre, including a new outdoor market and a kids play area, but what do locals want to see in the city to help turn Newport’s fortunes around?

Transcript

00:00It's certainly not controversial to say that Newport city centre has seen better days.

00:06Once upon a time, it was a thriving town with bustling shops,

00:09one of the most iconic night-lifes in the 90s, and people travelling from all over to shop here.

00:14Nowadays, that's not the case, but as you can see behind me, it's not like there's no one here.

00:19So the city definitely has some promise.

00:21The council knows about the problems with Newport,

00:23and have said they want to implement some short and long-term plans

00:26to try and drag Newport back to what it once was.

00:29But what do locals want to see change in the city centre?

00:32What would they like?

00:34Well, I don't know, it's not like it used to be.

00:38You know, what, years ago, like, it's changed, like, you know,

00:41but it's just put up with that, don't you?

00:43Well, there's a few water in all, that's the main thing, isn't it?

00:47I would like to see more shops in Newport,

00:50and I would like to see free packing and bring more people interested.

00:54I'd say more, like, pushing more for the advertisements of local stores

00:59that have been here for ages, because I feel like a lot of them are

01:03kind of just being brushed under the rug for bigger chains, really.

01:08So even just, like, pushing for the stuff that we have had since the 80s, at least,

01:15I think that would bring more of a unique advertisement perspective to Newport.

01:23The council have suggestions like covering empty shops with more local art,

01:27a kids' play area in the centre to make it more of a place to come and visit for families,

01:31and even the prospect of an outdoor space that could be used for gigs and live music in the future.

01:36People have told me today that they think things like that could help Newport get back on its feet.

01:41Well, personally, I'm not really from Newport. I'm from up the valleys,

01:46but I did used to come down when Debenhams was open, so something more in that vein, you know,

01:51and perhaps it'll attract more people and other, you know, distributors, you know, to come to the city.

01:58But from now, there's a lot of things closing down, and they've got to do something, haven't they?

02:03Because, you know, they're going to lose it out of Cardiff.

02:05I mean, I know, I used to come round here, now I go to Merthyr.

02:08I think there should be more places for the teenagers and all that, wouldn't it?

02:13You know, who they tend to go to, instead of hanging round the town all the time, isn't it?

02:19Yeah, yes, I would, yes. And I'd like to see, get rid of social behaviour as well,

02:25and make the town more safer as well.

02:28I like the idea of art being incorporated.

02:32Like, I know we had the old tunnel with the Chartist March Muriel on it.

02:37I'd like to see that being pushed more into the public.

02:42Just, like, historical pieces that had, in the past, put Newport on the map,

02:48kind of brought out and brought back into the light, really.

02:51And, yeah, I do feel like there aren't a lot of things that appeal to kids here anymore.

02:58doesn't have a lot to say.

03:07It has a lot to say.

03:10It might just be a little轻er, in the past that they dollars below.

03:13I was really offended because I'm here.

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