Newport council bid to improve streets 'divorced' from shops area
- Published
The plan is to make the area more green
A £20m bid to improve the area around Newport railway station has been sent to the UK government.
Under the plans, Queensway, Cambrian Road, Bridge Street and Upper Dock Street could be made more "green".Â
The Levelling Up Fund has £4.8bn available for UK councils to spend on "infrastructure that improves everyday life".
Newport council said the area felt "divorced from the city's leisure and retail offer".
The Local Democracy Reporting Service said it had described the area as the city's "northern gateway".
The city's Cambrian Road is also among those being looked at by the council
If it gets government backing, 10% would must come from an another source - either from council funds or a third party.
The council plans to use "existing and pipeline schemes in the northern gateway area as the match funding, as these are directly linked to the public realm improvements for the area".
It also has £4m of unallocated funds which could be used if needed.
The UK government has said it wants to prioritise areas with the most significant need based on economic recovery and growth, improved transport connectivity and the need for regeneration.
Newport council said the city was in the highest priority category.
The council could know by autumn whether its bid has been a success
The report said: "The city centre masterplan adopted in 2019 kickstarted a significant period of regeneration and an aspiration to deliver a number of strategic regeneration projects across the city centre.Â
"This included the development of new hotels and office space aimed at bringing economic resilience, creating opportunities and raising the profile of the city to those wishing to visit or invest."
The council could find out by autumn whether it has been successful.
If the bid is unsuccessful, it can also apply in future rounds.
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