THE decline of high street shopping is one of the major problems facing Newport, according to Argus readers.

We asked our Facebook followers what they thought were the biggest problems in the city that need fixing.

We received hundreds of responses covering a wide range of concerns, but the changing face of the city centre - and the perceived weakening of the high street - was mentioned by many readers.

This came after property development company Garrison Barclay Estates - which owns a number of buildings in the city centre - warned there had been “very little interest” from new traders looking to move into the area.

Among them was Kath Cartwright, who said: "Friars Walk was opened a few years ago in the hope Newport would revive the great shopping town it once was.

"What’s happened, sadly, [is that] it's lost many of it shops over the years since opening."

She added: "I don’t think Newport will ever become the place it was in the sixties, seventies, eighties or nineties.

"[It's a] sad sign of the times as everywhere is becoming the same."

Diana Holloway also remembered "very busy" times in past decades.

"Now we only go to Newport if we have to - it's been neglected," she said. "They say good things never last long. Newport is certainly one of those good things we've lost."

Heidi McAllister said Newport's high street "used to be fantastic" but went "downhill" after out-of-town retail parks opened in Maesglas and Spytty.

"There needs to be more to bring people into town," she said. "We stopped going regularly when they shut the pool at Newport Centre.

"When is the new leisure centre opening? The market is nice though and hopefully will stay open."

Other readers said parking was a problem.

Mary Neale said: "A big thing which has been said over and over is the charges for parking.

"That’s a huge bug bear and that’s why many people from Newport go to Cwmbran to shop."

Tracy Lewis made a similar point.

"At least try to encourage people to come to the few shops we have," she said. "Why pay here when you can go to Cwmbran? It must work because look how many more shops they have open."

Another regular concern was support for the city's homeless people.

Christine Caddy asked: "Why can’t homeless people be in accommodation? When Covid was first around they got them off the streets."

She added: "Fetch all the buildings up to the 21st century and tackle anti-social behaviour, drink and drugs."

Denise Marie Hayman said a priority should be "making one of the empty buildings a place for the homeless to sleep and get a warm meal instead of sleeping out in this awful cold weather".

And Sam Bessie Morgan added: "They need to reopen the homeless shelter in the town centre. People shouldn’t have to sleep in shop doorways in this weather."