Across Newport's skyline are some fairly obvious signs of a city on the up. There's the 15-storey luxury Mercure Hotel which opened earlier this year in Chartist Tower, its tallest building. Across the road is a sparkling new indoor market which regularly draws a crowd even on weekdays. Further outside is the life-sized dragon perched alongside the state-of-the art ICC Wales, now a familiar site for anyone who's been stuck on the M4 even semi-regularly.
Earlier this year Newport was named the fastest-growing city in Wales. The 2021 Census revealed a 9.5% increase in the city’s population from 145,736 to 159,600 people, with Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend also seeing significant rises.
For a city with one of the best transport links as far as London, paired with soaring property prices in Cardiff and Bristol and the scrapping of the Severn Bridge tolls in 2019, it’s no surprise that Newport is seeing more and more people set up their lives there. Perhaps buoyed by its new popularity, developers appear to have taken stock too; alongside some major developments finally opening their doors, there have also been major housing projects at the former Llanwern steelworks, the Mon Bank estate and Lysacht village, among others.
Read more: Newport's changing identity: The city that always seems to take one step forward and two steps back
But who are the people moving to Newport for the first time, and are they spending money in the city centre?
35-year-old field sales worker Stephen Carter moved from his native Bristol back in March 2018 with his partner Danielle. "We moved here solely for cheaper housing," he said. "We were looking to get on the property ladder for ourselves and property prices in Bristol have just increased so much over the last five, ten years. When we were looking for our own place, looking at value for money and what we could buy in Newport in comparison to Bristol, you're looking at an extra £100,000 or £110,000 for the same house.
"We paid £249,000 for our [four-bed] house - at the time, all we could afford for the same price in Bristol was a two-bed terraced house with one car parking space. Whereas here we've got a detached, space for four cars, garage. It's not a particularly big garden but getting on the property ladder for us, it was fine."
Stephen said the removal of tolls from the Severn Bridges in December 2018 happened a few months after they had put down a deposit on the plot on the then-mostly unbuilt Mon Bank estate. Stephen travels regularly for work and so doesn't need to be based in his office all the time, and said removing the tolls made Newport even more attractive.
"The commute from here to central Bristol probably takes less time than where we lived in Yate, which was about ten or 12 miles from the city centre. With traffic and everything it takes you less time from here than it did from there. The mileage is further but the commute times are no worse.
"So for us it was a no-brainer, really. I'm quite fortunate that I work in sales and cover the south west. We've got depots in Cardiff, Bristol and Exeter. My wife works in recruitment and was able to transfer her desk from Bristol to Cardiff, so it made that transition, that move, much easier. It's only a 30-minute drive for her or 12 minutes on the train.
"Today I've worked from home. For the rest of the week I'll be out at meetings. I'm in south Wales tomorrow, Bristol and Gloucester the next day, and Reading the next day. I cover quite a large area, so there's no need for me to be in a certain location or depot. So I'm quite fortunate that I'm able to kind of work from home, or work from a car or wherever."
'Everyone is so friendly and the bridge to England is so close’
Hannah Foss, 28, moved to Newport from Bristol with her partner Daniel last year and they set up their recruitment consultancy business CleanTech Talent the following month.
“My partner and I moved in December,” she said. “We were living in Bristol and we moved for a few reasons. It was partly because of the house prices in Bristol being so expensive. We spent nearly two years living in a studio which was a lot of work. We also wanted to get a dog and finding somewhere in Bristol that takes dogs was difficult. It so happened that my dad in Newport had a house to rent so it worked out.”
Hannah said the pair work from home and hope to buy a house in the future but that it is “incredibly expensive to buy” in the current market. “We would consider buying a house here but it would be at least three years’ wages to prove that you can afford a mortgage,” she said. “But we definitely plan on staying here. Everyone is so friendly and the bridge to England is so close.
“We pay £510 a month for a two-bed house with a massive garden and our own parking spaces. In Bristol we were in a block of flats, in a studio with no door to the bedroom and no parking, for £950 a month. So there’s a massive difference in what you get for your money. The flat we were living in was worth about £220,000 and this one was worth £140,00, and is now about £200,000.”
Caroline Griffiths, 69, lives on the Mon Bank estate and also moved from Bristol. "We moved from Kingswood and it will be five years in November," she said. "At the time we downsized because I've got two children - obviously grown up - and we downsized for money reasons. We lived there 17 years when we downsized. My daughter was buying a house over here and she asked would I like to come over and have a look as there was a couple she wanted to check out.
"When we came over me and my husband looked in the show rooms and just fell in love with it, and the price to what it is over in Bristol. So we sold and bought a three bed [here] for a lot cheaper."
Caroline paid just under £200,000 for a three-bed semi-detached in Mon Bank and said she feels happy to be living somewhere with more space than in Bristol. "If we were to get something like we have now in Bristol it would be double. But as I said I wasn't looking to move because we downsized - it was just that we couldn't believe what what we could have [in Newport]. At the time we were in a lovely cul-de-sac but then either side you started getting more council houses and cars. It's like two cars to every little house - it's gotten overrun with cars and a bit untidier.
"We are definitely getting better value here. I think this one would go now for about £270,00. So we've made £70,000 already, not that we're going to move again."
The latest house property index from Principality reported that Newport’s house prices rose 11.9% year-on-year, with average prices now £246,757 for the second quarter of 2022. Average prices in Cardiff are higher (£298,372), but prices there are rising more slowly (10.5% in the past year). Newport’s annual increase is even higher than the overall Wales figure (11.5%) and its average house price (£240,635). Half of local authorities reported double digit percentage price increases in the second quarter of 2022, while house prices in Wales jumped 3.1% between the first and second quarter alone.
Earlier this year WalesOnline reported how the unprecedented rise in house prices had made it almost impossible for some potential buyers to afford their own home in Newport. You can read more about that here. That's despite some major housing developments; St Modwen is continuing work on its massive Glan Llyn housing estate on the site of the old Llanwern steelworks, a £1bn project which will take around 20 years to complete. The likes of Griffin Island, Albany Chambers, Olympia House and Charles Street Adult Education Centre have all also been converted to housing, along with new builds like the Lysacht Village.
With so many of the new estates close to major supermarkets and retail parks like Spytty, some residents say it has left them with little need to venture into the city centre.
"We don't utilise Newport for much else other than our home being here," Stephen Carter said. "We take our dogs for a walk in the local parks - that's really about it. We don't really shop in Newport. We do all our shopping in the Tesco around the corner. We do eat out occasionally in Friars Walk.
"A few of us around here are from Bristol or aren't local. The estate agents told us last year that 80% of the people that were buying on this development were from Bristol. It's value for money, it's just what you can get. It's bang for your buck, I suppose.
"There's nothing here that's fantastic, in my opinion. For us, you've got a gym, the retail park, Spytty, The Range and other amenities around here. We've got two dogs and there's a few parks around. So there's plenty of things for our main core needs. Where we live has everything we need. I wouldn't say it's our forever choice of stay.
"Our biggest concern is when we start a family, the schools in the catchment area aren't great. This estate is lovely, but without being too snobby you've got places like Pill and Duffryn down that way that aren't particularly great. But even the nicest areas of Bristol, you've got Clifton and Westbury-on-Trym, and then behind that you've got Southmead. It's like anywhere, I suppose."
Hannah Foss lives in the new Lysacht Village and said she rarely goes into the city either. "Across the main road is the Morrisons, you have B&Q and all the retail parks only five minutes’ drive away," she said. "Everything is within touching distance. Unless we want to go for dinner or walk along the river we never really go into the city centre. If we do it seems a bit dilapidated.
"There’s so much out of the centre that you don’t really need to go in. Of course things like online shopping make it all easier. I have packages coming all the time. Newport has all these industrial estates that have everything you need. That’s probably the main reason. Parking is quite difficult too - you have to park in the indoor car parks which are often busy if it’s a Saturday.
"It’s just a bit lacking. Things like more natural or sustainable shops, that give people better choices, would be good. We only have one pub near us, the Blaina Wharf, and it would be nice to have a few more options. That’s usually why we go into town."
"There's more amenities here," Caroline Griffiths said. "It's lovely for us because we don't drive. If you go down that way, you got like Home Bargains, you've got Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonalds. There's loads there. We just walk up the road here, and we can get a bus from here. If we walked it, because I've got a bad leg now, it could take about half an hour, but it's only about 20 minutes' walk. So everything is here, as if we were meant to be here."
‘I absolutely love this city’
For 40-year-old Nate Martin, Newport is a world apart from what he’s been used to, having moved there in early 2021 from his native Atlanta in the USA. “My partner is from Undy so I moved here to be with her," he said. "The Welsh countryside is a little bit too remote for me and Newport was a nice mix - you can be in the Valleys in 20 minutes and you can also be in the centre of town really quickly.”
Nate is part of Edison Project, a marketing agency, and said he’d been struck by how much Newport has to offer. “It’s a beautiful city. There’s so much history here and I don’t know if maybe people don’t appreciate that. You’ve got the Riverfront Theatre, you’re right by the water, you’ve got shops and restaurants that you don’t have in other places.
“I’m big on co-working spaces and have been using the space in the Queen's Hotel. I looked at a space in the market but they weren’t quite ready for us yet, but we’d like to go there at some stage. I have been to networking events at the new Mercure Hotel and upstairs in the market, and what a facility to have. Those events can be a bit crummy, but they were so well run and to have those facilities is great. People in the business community are really excited about the city thriving, and it’s cool to be a part of that. Seeing all these changes and seeing it come up is really exciting.”
Nate admitted moving was a “culture shock” for several reasons. “Coming from America I’m used to 24 hours - being able to get everything you need whenever you want. So remembering to get your groceries before places close on a Sunday, or the market being closed Monday and Tuesday - that took getting used to. But I understand why and it’s part of why I moved here - because I didn’t want to be part of the rat race.
“Seeing people out and about having coffee, catching up with friends and taking their kids out, that just doesn’t happen in the States unless you’re in the big cities like New York. I live near the Carpenters pub and don’t drive and I have everything I need in the city. I love the new market and going in to buy meat from the Castle Farm shop and supporting the businesses.”
Stuart Crosby, 50, is originally from Cwmbran but moved to Cardiff for university when he was in his 20s. He spent lots of time in Newport when he was younger, before moving there in 2018.
“Property was a lot cheaper,” he said. “I was in Cardiff Bay which was ridiculous price-wise. If you want privacy and don’t want to share with other people it’s very difficult. I was paying just under £1,000 a month for a two-bed apartment. When you put everything else on top of that it’s quite a lot of money.
“In Newport I got a bigger apartment with a private garden for £650 a month. It was a brand new property as well.”
Stuart said he avoids going into Newport city centre as he said it was “not what it used to be". He said: “Back when I was younger it was a great town on weekends. I won’t go there anymore.
"The nightlife used to attract people from all over - the Valleys, Cardiff - and they would take the train. The empty shops, the dirtiness - the council say it is a problem in all city centres, but I beg to differ. Places like Cwmbran are thriving. I think Newport could be doing a lot more.
“I can go to Spytty or Cwmbran and it’s a much nicer place. It’s tidier and you feel safer. Cwmbran has all the big names. When I moved back to Newport I was shocked - if I knew then what I did now I wouldn’t have moved back.
“I think people see Spytty as Newport’s new town centre because everything is there. You’ve got all of the big names there. You can go there and get whatever you need. I think so many people go to Spytty or Cwmbran because you can shop and park in the same place.”
Back in May, James Crook of Crook and Blight estate agents in Newport said prices were “still going up" despite expectations that they might return to normal after the pandemic.
"I think Newport has always been quite a commuter location for people from Cardiff, for as long as I remember," he said at the time. "The tolls on the bridge [being scrapped] completely opened it up too.
“You might have 15 people through the door and three or four offers, and often it bids over. Before Covid, one per cent of the time we got over the asking price. Now it’s probably more than half. It’s gone from a complete rarity to very common. One thing we are seeing is a lot of young families coming over from Bristol. That’s probably the most we are seeing. We have noticed first time buyers having difficulty."
With prices in the likes of Cardiff and Bristol unlikely to come down for the time being, residents feel those looking to avoid expensive cities will continue to look further afield to places like Newport. “As a dog owner you meet a lot of other dog owners, and we’ve met a lot of people coming over from Bristol,” Hannah Foss said. “They say the same - that it’s the house prices. But for how long is that sustainable?”
Stuart said: "I look at the cost of property in Newport now, which is rising considerably too. I know people who are living in the Valleys because they still get the savings of the bridge."
Nate said the fact so many people were moving to Newport was a huge plus. “A rising tide raises all ships," he said. "Cardiff is kind of busy and pricey. Here you’re a short 15-minute train ride away. Finding an apartment was a bit tough, people were talking about coming from Bristol and the prices, but it’s a good thing.
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t want your community to have a diverse mix of people. Obviously I don’t like walking past empty shops - Debenhams was the jewel in the crown and looking at it now is depressing, there’s no other way about it.
“This could just be an American romanticising Europeans, but I absolutely love this city. It’s gorgeous. Every city has its problems but there’s so much to do here. A lot of people are down on Newport but it has everything you need, and I’d like to see more of it.”
Sue Hatherley, 54, moved to Newport last December from Plymouth after she was made redundant from her job with EDF Energy in October. "I decided to move to Wales because my daughter lives here and I wanted to be close to her,” she said.
Sue lives within walking distance of the city centre and said she regularly goes in. “It’s just down the road from me, so it’s easy. I do my shopping there. It’s about the same as in Plymouth [price-wise]. I think the town centre could have a bit more work done to it. It does look a little bit shabby. The first time I came up here to visit my daughter I walked through and said I wouldn’t feel safe walking through alone. But since living here I’ve gotten used to it. It’s the same in Plymouth but because it’s bigger you notice it less.
“I’ve got the Ridgeway nearby which is beautiful,” Sue said. “Newport is like anywhere else - it has its good and bad points. I’ve felt really welcomed - Welsh people are so friendly. We went for a walk by the 14 Locks and I couldn’t believe how many people stopped and had a chat with us compared to Plymouth.”
With rising populations comes the inevitable questions - not just on where people will live, but how such increases will be managed in terms of hospitals, schools, road infrastructure and more. For over 20 years Newport was the proposed home for an M4 relief road, which was eventually scrapped in 2019 after delays and costs which ballooned to £1.3bn. But with traffic congestion a major issue on the M4 and the Brynglas Tunnels, the question around how to cope with the number of cars on the road remains unanswered. In 2020 the South East Wales Transport Commission recommended building six new train stations between Cardiff and Newport, but the plans remain at an early stage.
Newport City Council said that while the city's growth presented opportunities, it "also brings challenges that the council cannot meet on its own". The council's last local development plan, which outlines land use planning within the council area, was adopted in 2015 and the next one is due to be publicly examined in 2024 ahead of its adoption in 2025. A number of major projects are at various stages, including £100m plans for a new leisure centre and campus in the city centre. Proposals for a £90m Coleg Gwent campus on the site of the existing Newport Centre went out to public consultation in July, which it is hoped will bring more than 2,000 staff and students into the city.
Planning permission for a new £20m state-of-the-art leisure centre at a nearby brownfield site by the riverfront was passed by Newport City Council in November last year. A £24m redevelopment of the Ringland area is also underway, which includes a new medical centre proposed by Aneurin Bevan Health Board hosting GP services, dentistry, sexual health, speech and language therapy, mental health support and a community pharmacy.
A Newport City Council spokesperson said: "Newport City Council has been aware that the numbers of people living in the city has grown over the decade between the time of the last Census in 2011 and the most recent survey in 2021.
"Plans for this continued growth were included in the last local development plan, adopted in 2015, and will be an important part of the replacement local development plan which is currently in progress. The public examination is currently timetabled for 2024 with adoption in 2025. Such growth obviously brings opportunities and shows that people think Newport is a good place to live.
"It also brings challenges that the council cannot meet on its own. There are implications for other public and third sector organisations as well as the private sector. Although we can set aside land in the LDP for employment and housing growth, as well as new facilities such as health and shopping, we are not responsible for the provision of these amenities.
"We work closely with partners, such as the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, to try and address issues in the city. For instance, we are collaborating on plans for the new Health and Wellbeing Centre in Ringland.
"Further and higher education in the city is important to us. We are working with Coleg Gwent on its plans for a city centre campus and have submitted a bid for a National Technology Institute to the UK’s Levelling-Up fund which would deliver high-quality training and skills and involve other partners.
"New primary schools and a Welsh-language secondary school have also opened in the city in recent years. Proposals for new schools to meeting the growing numbers of children are also in the pipeline including a fourth Welsh-medium primary school.
"Many people are moving to Newport for personal reasons, such as more affordable housing or work, and this will bring benefits for the local economy. Others come to the city seeking refuge and sanctuary. Our growing population coupled with the cost-of-living crisis also, sadly, means an increase in those living in deprivation and this can be challenging but the council, and partners, are doing all they can to offer support.
"A multi-agency strategic approach has been established to ensure services continue to respond to those in need but also to embed an effective early intervention approach."
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