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Out of the rough With Newport's multi-billion-pound regeneration under threat, what will be ready when it hosts the 2010 Ryder Cup? By Daniel Cunningham
To use a golfing analogy, the 18th hole is looming and Newport's regeneration is way over par.
In 2010, the spotlight will be on the city as golf's Ryder Cup, one of the world's highest-profile sporting events, is held at the nearby Celtic Manor resort The city is in the middle of a £2bn-plus regeneration, but little will be ready when Tiger Woods et al arrive.
Newport's flagship shopping development is on ice, a major tower scheme has been dropped and the riverfront is dotted with residential projects at various stages of completion. What state is the regeneration in - and could 2010 be a public relations disaster?
"Obviously, we are experiencing problems. In the normal course of events, some schemes would be finished by 2010," admits John Burrows, chief executive of urban regeneration company Newport Unlimited. "But huge outputs are planned that would be big for Manchester, let alone Newport."
Burrows explains that by 2015, the £2bn-£3bn regeneration is supposed to deliver 2m sq ft of offices, 1m sq ft each of retail and industrial space, and 100,000 homes. Work on site has started on around 10-15% of that, he adds. But he is adamant that the longterm case for Newport remains sound.
"The most noticeable and damaging problem is that the shopping centre is not on site," says Burrows.
Local agent Robert Carew-Chaston, partner at Hutchings & Thomas, agrees: "Newport is desperate for a retail heart and has lost out to Cardiff and Bristol. Friars Walk has the potential to correct that."
Work on Modus's £200m Friars Walk scheme should have been started by now for a summer 2010 opening,...