THE ribbon was cut at Newport's ambitious indoor market redevelopment today.

The £6.5-to-£7 million redevelopment of the market by Loft Co was celebrated with an opening for traders, media and invited guests ahead of the official opening for the public on Saturday, March 19.

The market was officially opened by Newport City Council leader Cllr Jane Mudd who said it was “an exciting time for Newport” as she cut the ribbon.

Speaking to the Argus after the official opening, Cllr Mudd said: “I am delighted with it [the market redevelopment]. I think it is a really good model of what we can do with partnerships.”

She spoke of how the market’s design – which keeps the historic format of the traders' stall names above the stalls and much of the same layout as previous – works well with keeping the nostalgia and still providing a modern market.

“If you look, the market still has all the nostalgia,” she said. “Simon [Baston, Loft Co managing director] has a track record of developing old buildings and keeping the history.”

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Cllr Mudd also thanked the Newport City Council staff who she said worked hard and were dedicated to making the market regeneration happen.

Inside the market are a large number of stalls for food, sweets, pets, comics, fruit and vegetables, homeware and much more, with a vibrant upstairs set to be filled with office space and room for events.

Mr Baston is pleased with how the development has gone and the support it has had. “Sometimes you are apprehensive because you do not know how it is going to be perceived,” he told the Argus. “In the last two to three months it has been a lot more positive for what people want in Newport.

“We are getting huge support. We had 500 tables booked for the first restaurant.

“We hope to deliver a scheme here that Newport is going to be proud of.”

The full redevelopment is not yet finished as the gym is still to be fitted and there is ongoing work to convert the vaults into more space including a further six gyms.

Both Mr Baston and Cllr Mudd hope that the scheme will attract people to the city. Ms Mudd said: “I hope people get behind this development. With the Market Arcade also being redone, there will be traffic from one into the other.”

The council are not planning to introduce free parking to help attract visitors to the city, however, the free bus travel around Newport is still in place until the end of March.

See our gallery above for images inside the newly redeveloped market.