Changes in Newport soon

The next newsletter from the councillors should arrive in January. In the meantime here is a summary of news which affects all citizens; (news from Councillor Carter)

1) The Newport branch of Woolworths is due to close at the end of this week, - a sad day for many of us. (Councillor Carter has been in touch with the liquidators, who have told him that there are a number of parties interested in the site. He will try to contact some or all of the parties in January, in an effort to encourage a new and prompt usage of the building.

2) The former Taylor's Bakery shop will be re-opening at the end of January as Jaspers Bakery. They have a shop in Penkridge, and promise to be an asset on our High Street.

3) Telford & Wrekin Progress. A number of projects have been in the pipeline but are now coming towards final decision:

i) McCarthy & Stone will be submitting a planning application to T & W, which we hope will clear up what is something of an eyesore on the road in from Stafford. If agreement for their development on Stafford Street can be reached, there should be a new asset for Newport, a visual improvement and some jobs created.

ii) The Care village proposal, for the junction of Stafford Road and the eastern by-pass, is well progressed and approaching final decision.

iii) The design guide for the High Street and also the Central Square should be completed in January and be available for public consultation in February. If all goes well, we should not have long to wait for complaints about the High Street to be met, while meeting requirements for pedestrian safety and traffic management.

iii) Schemes for Victoria Park and Canal Corner are also at an advanced stage of preparation. It is hoped that these will be available for public consultation in February before going to final decision and approval at the Borough Council.

It is important that any interested people use the opportunity to consult and comment on what is proposed. We would like like to think that general agreement could lead to early implementation after such a long process of preparation, but financial considerations and availability of resources could still cause further delay.