The demolition of Newport Centre is continuing with plans for a new learning campus and state-of-the-art leisure centre also progressing. Newport Centre closed back in March after 37 years as a familiar sight on the city's skyline, having hosted hundreds of concerts as well as gym, swimming and exhibition facilities.
The centre hosted major gigs by the likes of David Bowie, Run DMC and Alice Cooper since opening in 1985 but saw its swimming pool close permanently in 2021 after Newport City Council deemed it beyond repair, and in March the centre closed for good after 37 years. Health and fitness services have temporarily relocated to to Cambrian Centre on Cambrian Road, opposite the railway station next to Admiral House.
Pictures from last weekend show scaffolding has been erected at the centre, with paths around the Kingsway and Emlyn Street closed off ahead of full demolition, which is expected in the coming months. In the meantime, plans are progressing for a new Coleg Gwent campus on the current Newport Centre site, with a brand new leisure centre also planned for a nearby brownfield site on the riverfront. Here is everything you need to know about the future of Newport Centre and the big projects planned to replace it.
Read more: All the big projects Newport Council is spending money on this year
Demolition of Newport Centre - £1.2m
Last year Newport City Council announced that Newport Centre would be demolished after 37 years after falling into disrepair. It came after the council closed its swimming pool permanently in August 2021, saying it was "beyond viable repair" and that opening the pool safely to the public "would involve significant cost." You can see our sad final pictures inside the pool here.
The council confirmed in October that Newport Centre would be demolished in 2023 to make way for a new Coleg Gwent campus on the site. A state-of-the-art leisure centre will also be built on a nearby site near the riverfront. Last weekend scaffolding and hoarding were pictured on the Newport Centre building, which has been cordoned off to the public. The council has said the demolition will cost around £1.2 million.
Work is set to last several months with initial hoarding, scaffolding, soft strip-out and asbestos removal to take place between now and May 22. Structural demolition work will then take place between May 22 and June 9 which includes the sports hall, pool hall and link block, before further demolition and groundworks including slabs, basement and pilecaps takes place between June 12 and August 11, according to planning documents. Completion of the work will take place between August 14 and 31.
Walters, the company behind the demolition, has confirmed that the work means the footway along Usk Way and Emlyn Street will need to be closed off until the end of August as a result.
New Coleg Gwent campus - £90m
Newport Council is progressing plans to replace the existing Newport Centre with a brand new Coleg Gwent campus. Estimated to cost around £90m, the major project will see Coleg Gwent relocate from its existing premises on Nash Road to the current Newport Centre site, with the new seven storey building encompassing education, shops, restaurants, offices and a hotel. A pre-planning consultation was launched last July and the council’s planning committee unanimously approved the outline planning application back in October. The project is in its early stages and is not expected to be completed this year.
The campus forms part of the council's plans for the Newport Knowledge Quarter (NKQ) joining the University of South Wales campus. The council was criticised back in 2020 after it was accused of "backtracking" on its plans for a Knowledge Quarter in the city, with little in the way of action since the project was announced back in 2016.
Coleg Gwent previously told WalesOnline it hoped the plans would bring more than 2,000 staff and students into the city. Traders and locals have previously lamented the loss of much of Newport's once-thriving student population following the closure of its Caerleon campus in 2016.
New leisure centre - £19.7m
Newport City Council also wants to build a new leisure centre on a nearby brownfield site by the riverfront, behind the University of South Wales building, plans for which were revealed in 2021. The new centre will cost around £19.7 and the council has said it remains committed to the plans despite facing an “unprecedented financial challenge” and a £33m funding gap which will see service cuts this year. You can read more about that here.
In the meantime, gym and fitness services operated by Newport Live have been relocated from Newport Centre to Cambrian Centre on Cambrian Road. The new leisure centre will include a pool, fitness studio and health and well-being areas as well as modern changing facilities and a café. It remains in its early stages and will not be completed this year. A final date for completion is not yet known.
It was also revealed that the new leisure centre in Newport will not have live music facilities like the existing Newport Centre. The decision prompted some in the city's arts scene to say it had "lost another opportunity." You can read more about that here. You can also read more about the big gigs held at Newport Centre over the years here.
READ NEXT:
