Gym and fitness services in Newport will have a new temporary home when the Newport Centre is demolished later this year. The 37-year-old building has hosted hundreds of concerts as well as gym, swimming and exhibition facilities over the years but will close at the end of March after falling into disrepair.
Newport Centre first opened in 1985 and has hosted major acts including David Bowie, Run DMC and Alice Cooper, but last year its swimming pool was forced to close permanently after Newport City Council deemed it beyond repair. Planning permission for the demolition of the centre was granted in October and it has now been confirmed that the centre will shut permanently at the end of March.
Newport Live, which runs gym and leisure services at the site, has confirmed that an interim well-being and physical activity centre will open in Cambrian Centre on Cambrian Road on April 1. Located opposite the railway station next to Admiral House, the site will welcome new and current members and will host group exercise classes, although some services will be relocated to Newport International Sports Village and the Riverfront Theatre. Newport Live will confirm relocation and timetable information in the coming months.
Read more: Newport's changing identity: The city that always seems to take one step forward and two steps back
Plans are ongoing for a new £90m campus which will see Coleg Gwent relocated from its existing campus in Nash Road to the current Newport Centre site. The seven-storey campus will also include shops, restaurants, offices and a hotel. Coleg Gwent previously told WalesOnline it hoped the plans would bring more than 2,000 staff and students into the city.
Newport City Council also wants to build a new leisure centre on a nearby brownfield site by the riverfront, plans for which were revealed in 2021. In January the council confirmed that demolition of Newport Centre would begin in the spring at a cost of around £1.2 million and said it was committed to plans to build the new £20m leisure centre despite facing an “unprecedented financial challenge” and a £33m funding gap which is likely to lead to further service cuts this year. You can read more about that here.
Check out how the pool at Newport Centre looked as it was closed for good last year:
Regarding the new temporary fitness centre, Newport Live chief executive Steve Ward said: "We know that leaving Newport Centre will be very difficult for many customers and our colleagues because of the memories that it evokes. Newport Centre has had a varied and interesting history, from helping to positively contribute to the well-being of people of all ages to being a hugely popular music venue, hosting some of the world’s biggest artists including Elton John, David Bowie and Ed Sheeran. Newport Centre, its fitness provision, events and our colleagues certainly helped attract people from across the city, the UK and worldwide over these last 30 years.
"Whilst we are excited to be part of the planning for a new modern venue on the riverfront, we’re pleased to have the opportunity to continue to deliver our hugely important physical and well-being activities and sports services in the city once Newport Centre closes. The interim well-being and physical activity centre will see our gym provision increase threefold from the size of Newport Centre’s gym space with a wide range of new fitness equipment allowing us to provide more fitness opportunities for local people and to support the physical and mental well-being of our communities. "
Last year it was 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.
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