Newport council 'dragging feet' on city centre pavement work

In some areas of Commercial Street, Llanarth Street and Charles Street, black tarmac has been laid to patch over parts of the pavement where the original stonework has been damaged or removed.

When the matter was first raised to the Argus last December, the city council said work to replace the paving required a road closure order and would take place this spring.

But as May draws to a close, Conservative Party campaigner Michael Enea said there was no sign of any work starting.

“Commercial Street runs through the very centre of our city centre," he said. "The state of the street paving is appallingly bad. We were told work on repairs would commence in the spring of 2022 - however we’re now into the summer, and there has been no sight of any work to repair to the street paving”.

Tarmac patches, like these in Commercial Street, should be replaced to improve the look of the city centre, Michael Enea says.

Some of the tarmac patches cover the city's old VE and VJ Day memorials, which were laid in 1995 to mark 50 years since the end of World War Two, but were then removed a decade ago.

Tarmac patches, like these in Charles Street, should be replaced to improve the look of the city centre, Michael Enea says.

The council has said previously that the tarmac patches were safe - but Mr Enea said improving the look of the city-centre paving was important, given other work to attract visitors to Newport.

“With the opening of the new indoor market, Newport is on-the-up," he said. "There is definitely a feel-good factor back in the city.

"But the council cannot sit back and rest on their laurels as they did after Friars Walk opened.

"They are 'dragging their feet' on regenerating Commercial Street. We need action, not excuses."

Newport City Council was contacted for comment.