Focus on Malpas Residents Harold Ridsdale War Hero/ Football Star We pay tribute to a Malpas resident Harold Ridsdale who was awarded a Military Medal by General Bernard Montgomery (right) for bravery in World Warr II and then went on to thrill thousands of Newport football fans playing for Lovells with superb dribbling skills and goal scoring brilliance. Go to the Ridsdale story See the Press clippings

LATEST: £789 raised : Callum's Japanese Garden. The latest figure for Callum's fundraising event for Latch, The Welsh Children's Cancer Charity is £789.01. If you would like to donate go to Latch Wales and say you are responding to Callum's appeal. Go to report

Hallow'een Theft
One of our favourite residents is Mr Thain of Pilton Vale. He lives next door to Callum. Last year he was given some pumpkin seeds. When he was younger he was a keen gardener with a large plot but has no room at his current address. But he still loves to work in the garden and because he had never grown pumpkins before he decided to give them a try. He was amazed when they took over his front lawn and started to grow into three huge specimens. His three grandchildren were also thrilled and each selected one for Hallow'een. Unfortunately someone stole the largest pumpkin. He did not want to lose the others and disappoint all his grandchildren so his son rigged up an alarm system with wires. This worked and the other two grew to an enormous size as you can see.

If you See Something: Say Something
In New York they are taking public participation seriously. There is a similar perception in the USA that reporting issues to the police or council does not lead to action. This is a circular argument. If the authorities are unaware of the issues how can they act?

In Manhattan they have posters on transport systems everywhere urging affirmative action from its citizens. If residents see something such as abandoned packages, suspicious behaviour or anything else that might lead to problems they are asked to contact a guard or a police officer. It is working!

Fortunately this is also the case in Malpas. The majority of our residents keep us and the Police well informed about local problems.

Dumping
A resident in the Firs contacted at the start of July with information about dumping of the bundles of the Weekly Argus on the old railway embankment behind Grove Park.

We have waited for 10 weeks for the Argus to act on this dumping. In exasperation we visited this beautiful and much used nature trail to record the dumped material - some being there for a quite few years.

We counted over 70 bundles of papers and boxes of advertising material. The latter of course being paid for by advertisers for the Argus to deliver to Malpas homes. One leaflet advertising Going for Gold was paid for by Newport City Council. Go to slide show of dumping.

Several other people have also told us about dumped Argus' at various other places around Malpas.

What we say is: If you See Something, Say Something

Dominos Take Away extension of Opening Hours : Refused
Our Planning Officers have refused the Dominos Pizza House application for an extension to their opening hours. They wanted to keep the facility open until 12 midnight on 7 days of the week including bank and public holidays. We pointed out that the Licensing Committee had previously refused this extension and it would make no sense for a department within the same authority to undermine that decision.

As you all know, we and many other residents wrote in with objections to this plan. Originally it looked as if this would be accepted but we pressed our planning officers to look at this again or we would insist that it goes before full committee. This would give us a chance to argue the case with our colleagues.

Fortunately the officers have had another look at the criteria we used for refusal when it went to Licensing Committee. They agreed with us that this was not an acceptable application and now recommend refusal.

The Malpas Three would like to thank all those who wrote in and supported our fight to prevent further deterioration of life in this area.

Telecoms Mast installation on Malpas Road : Accepted
We are very sorry to report that this application was reluctantly accepted by the Planning Committee. The officers investigated all our suggestions as to why it should not be sited in this location.

Unfortunately other authorities have given permission for this type of installation and they believed that we would lose this on appeal and incur considerable costs to the City Council.

The Committee discussed this in great length and heard our specific objections and the written objections by local residents. Our intervention did achieve a reduction in the scale of the installation. The company scrapped the original plans for a 3meters hut on the pavement and have opted for a similar unit to the Vodafone box a few metres from the planned telecoms mast.

The Malpas Three are grateful to all the residents who wrote in to object to the proposals. This is one of the very few instances where our joint intervention has not resulted in a positive outcome.

Dominos Take away Opening Hours
Dominos Pizza House (401 Malpas Road) have applied for an extension to their opening hours. They want to keep the facility open until 12 midnight on 7 days of the week including bank and public holidays.

We believe that this is not acceptable and will be opposing this application.
If you believe that this application is not appropriate for this area then you should write in with objections.

The reasons for our opposition are as follows. Litter: There is a huge litter problem caused by shops in this vicinity and we are constantly pressing the shopkeepers to clean up the area. An extra hour’s opening time will create a corresponding increase in the packaging and general litter discarded in the area. Unruly Behaviour: This is already a honey pot for youths to congregate and the security guard , Police and our Ranger service are frequently called to the area. There is a distinct possibility that the late opening time will create a large influx of people leaving pubs, clubs and nightclubs in the town centre. Such a mass of visitors including many who have overindulged in alcohol consumption will create a range of public disorder problems and excessive noise.

If you wish to object please write to to The Planning Dept. Newport City Council, Civic Centre, Newport NP20 4UR or email planning@newport.gov.uk. If you prefer to email would you please copy in to david.mayer@newport.gov.uk.

Disused Railway Line: Woodland area
The woodland area behind Horrocks Close, Robertson Way and Alanbrooke Avenue is being sold off at auction. Many residents are concerned that this might lead to development of the site. The area designated as Countryside and Green Wedge in the current Unitary Development Plan. Any Planning applications must be determined in accordance with this Plan unless there are material circumstances indicating otherwise. The policies for Countryside and Green Wedge contain strict criteria against which development will be assessed, and therefore it is very unlikely that development would be permitted in this area.

Exceptions to this might be an agricultural or forestry worker's dwelling, but even this must be justified and is unlikely here. There can be other exceptions, for example the Children's Centre at High Cross where the Planning Inspector considered that the Centre was possible only if partly funded by the erection of 33 dwellings. However, these are very exceptional circumstances and there are many other cases where developers have sought to build houses in the Countryside that we have refused and won at appeal.

It is therefore not likely that development will be permitted here in the near future because of its location, access issues and the amount of earth moving that would be required.
However, the current Development Plan ends in 2011, and will be replaced by a new Local development Plan (LDP), following the Government's recent reforms of the planning system. We cannot guarantee that the land in question will never be allocated for development in future but we have resisted previous plans in the area such as the farmland near the bypass.
Another problem for potential developers is a recent Tree Preservation Order (TPO) placed on the land. This means any tree work will have to be agreed by our TPO Officer and only trees that have sound arboricultural reasons will be removed or pruned
Incidentally, It is the landowners responsibility to have its trees inspected and kept in safe order- the landowner is legally responsible not neighbouring properties.

Urgent!!!!Telecoms installation on Malpas Road
We are very disturbed about the scale and position of the proposed installation of a telecoms cabinet with a 3 metre dish on the dual carriageway opposite the BP Garage.
The cabinet is around 3 cubic metres and there is also a 0.3 metre satellite dish which we were not told about when asked for details in March 2007. (apologies to those for the missing 0. in the recent news update to residents directly affected)

We objected to the proposal by the company (BartonWillmore) on 8 April 2007 but did not get a reply. Now they have submitted an application. App. No.07/0571

The Malpas Three have already opposed the application and asked for it to be heard at full committee. It is vital that everyone writes in to object to this application. This can be as simple or detailed as you wish but individual letters are more effective than petitions.
We are not sure of the health effects of this installation as there is conflicting evidence but the jury is still out as far as we are concerned and we are not prepared to accept the potential danger. We do know that they are not allowed to site them near schools so this suggest a problem.
What is clear is that this is huge blot on our landscape and should not be installed here. We have repeatedly asked if this is a one off for the whole of Newport or just for Malpas but have not had a reply. We have asked for an urgent meeting with the Leader of NCC to discuss this.
Please write with any objections to Stewart Wild. Head of Planning. Newport City Council, Civic Centre Newport NP20 4UR. You can also email your objections to planning@newport.gov.uk

Images of what the cabinets will look like on the roadside

download pdf of plans1

download pdf of plans2

Neighbourhood Committee at Malpas Court School 10 May 2007
There were two presentations given at the meeting. One was and update about the Canal Restoration Project (see below) and the other was an update of the City Centre Regeneration work.

A slide show given on the night is available on our site. This is of course a very brief presentation and does not reflect the discussions on the night but if you have any questions we will try to answer them or find out from our officers.

Canal Restoration presentation go to slideshow

City Centre Regeneration presentation go to slideshow

Canal restoration Meeting at the Community Centre 23 March 2007
There was a disappointing turnout for the meeting but we received many apologies. Friday evening is not a good night for a meeting. We have asked the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust to provide us with a powerpoint presentation that we can pass on to you. We have also requested them to attend a future Neighbourhood Committee meeting to give a short presentation.

Meanwhile we will try to get details of the proposed scheme and how it affects Malpas and Newport. For those interested we recommend browsing the following:

Canal information and history on Newport City Council website go to website

Trail Boat event held at Blaen-y-pant section Newport in 2004 go to website (click on R)

One of the problems with the Cwmbran part of the canal restoration is near B&Q in the town centre. Here is the proposed solution to the problem go to website(click on O)

For full details and much more information check out the entire Mon & Brecon Canal site go to website

llegal Tarmac gangs operating in Malpas

Our Community Police Officer, Nigel Jones has contacted us with information about illegal path laying contractors operating in the area. There may be up to four groups operating probably linked to each other.

They prey on the elderly and vulnerable and charge extortionate fees for extremely shoddy work. It usually costs more to repair the damage. A number of people have already fallen victim to these criminal gangs.

We urge residents to be wary of anyone attempting to sell services door to door and to call the police (244999) if you have any doubts about the validity of callers.

We would also urge you to warn others about this threat and to report any dubious activity to the police immediately.

Malpas Information Page

The Malpas Three have introduced an information page showing business and amenities contacts in the Malpas Ward. If you have a Malpas based service or company that you would like included on our website or your own website you would like a link to please contact David by phone or email. There is no charge for this service. We just think it makes sense in an area of nearly 7,000 to use local plumbers, builders, electricians, suppliers etc if they exist. It also makes environmental and economic sense. If businesses spent less time traveling they can work longer and more efficiently. They can save money by popping home for lunch as well.

Latest News on Malpas Court House

We have received informal notification that an additional Heritage Lottery Fund bid for £750K to ensure that the Malpas Court renovation/conservation work will meet sustainability and Zero Waste standards has been approved.

The building work is due to start imminently and is scheduled for completion around March-June 2008.

Malpas Road re-surfacing work

The contract to re-surface the carriageway along Malpas Road from the motorway to the City boundary, is programmed to start on the Monday 13th November. The work will take approximately 8 weeks to complete.

For the first two weeks some of the work will take place in the evening in order to reduce congestion.
The hours of work are as follows;

09:00 - 15:30 - Milling to a depth of 100mm and ironwork
18:00 - 02:00 (Preferably not after midnight each night) - Laying Binder course (for first two weeks)

Should you, have any queries or concerns regarding noise or access or any other issues prior to or during the works please contact Hanson Construction Projects 01685 884444.

For any other enquiries please contact the Malpas Three malpas.three@ntlworld.com

Cardboard Recycling

Those with Orange top bins are now able to put cardoard as well as garden waste in their Orange lidded bins. For details of the scheme go to our City Website

Neighbourhood Meeting at Malpas Church School 3 October 2006 at 6.30pm

The next Newport City Council Neighbourhood Meeting for Malpas will be held at Malpas Church School on Tuesday 3 October 2006 at 6.30pm. On the agenda is the regular Police Matters, and a presentation on the protection of vulnerable adults. If you have any suggestions for topics that can be discussed at future meetings we will make every effort to accommodate this. If you want to be copied in to the distribution list of the agenda please contact us.

Ward Surgery at 6pm 3 July 2006

At 6pm prior to the Neighbourhood Committee, the Malpas Three Councillors will be available for a Ward Surgery so that specific problems can be dealt with.

Welcome to Keith Muirhead the new Inspector for Bettws Police Section

Dan Taylor has left to become Staff Officer to the chief Constable, Mike Tonge. His replacement is Inspector Neil Muirhead who is already in post. We hope to meet with him very soon to discuss the many concerns of Malpas residents. go to police contacts page

Parking on Malpas Road (Dual Carriageway) go to newsletter

The importance of contacting the Police
The following advice was circulated recently.

In our experience, most people do not complain because they feel that the Police do not attend. The priority system operated means that the Police will respond to the most serious incidents first. Residents often feel that their concerns are being ignored. This is not the case. Unfortunately when they are free to attend less priority incidents it may not be possible to
resolve them. Every call is important because it enables them to create a pattern for crime and anti social behaviour and provide resources more effectively. The above issue shows this. The Bettws Policing Team recently held a conference on Local Policing and we raised a number of points
including the importance of informing complainants of action taken so that they are reassured and will continue to provide important intelligence on local issues. The Police service has been very proactive in recent years in relation to community involvement and are encouraging more and more people to set up neighbourhood watch teams and to report any issues of concern. (go to Police page)

Claremont embankment works
The following advice was delivered to residents on 11 March 2006 (go to page)

Cefn Coed Planning development (Cook’s Land)
The following advice was delivered to residents on 12 February 2006 (go to page)

School Bus Problems in Westfield Way
The following advice was delivered to residents on 11 February 2006 (go to page)

Montgomery Road Junction (New)

The Malpas Three met with Highways Department to discuss a more permanent set up at the junction. Many residents have complained about school users crossing over into the left hand lane. This creates a potential hazard on the dual carriageway as the exit for cars from Montgomery is blocked leaving them dangerously straddling the dual carriageway.

The Malpas three suggested an island in the centre. Highways are looking at a variety of solutions and we will keep you updated.

Twice Monthly Waste Collection (New)

From January 2006 the weekly collection of waste in the green wheelie bins will change for some residents to a fortnightly pick-up. Later on in 2006 all residents will have their waste collected fortnightly. The trial scheme was an outstanding success. The recycling in the trial area increased by 40%. The City has to reach an overall target of 40% recycling or will be fined by the Welsh Assembly. This would equate to about £60 on a band D council tax rate although some suggest that this might be as high as £180 a year.

For details about the scheme visit the NCC website.

To find out whether your street is in the January tranch click here

Malpas Institute Trust Website now open (New)

The Malpas Institute Trust Website is now available. The site designed by Cllr. David Mayer who also designed the Logo, has a downloadable application form, a guide, the rules of the trust, and the latest accounts.

The Trust was set up with the money raised by the sale of the War Memorial Hall in order to build the Larch Court Sheltered Housing complex. The website includes a short history of the Hall and a photo of the Roll of Honour (now in the Community Centre on Pillmawr Road) as well as a list, unusually, of those who served as well as those who died in the 1914 to 1918 conflict.

If you have memories or photographs you would like to share please contact David Mayer.

go to Trust website

Council Tax: (New)

An analysis of the amounts paid in Council Tax has just been carried out.

Wales has lower rates than England and Newport has the lowest rate in Wales.

The differences are startling.

Monmouthshire average is £1,037, Cardiff £846, Swansea £ 742.

Newport Council tax is the lowest in Wales at £ 666 - a full £305 or 31.4% less than Bristol.

The average for all Welsh dwellings is £791. That's £218 or 21.6% lower than the average in England.

(Thanks to Paul Flynn MP for the details. ) go to http://www.paulflynnmp.co.uk/

Continental Market: Experience a World of taste and flavour when the Continental Market visits John Frost Square between Thursday 15 to Sunday 18th September. It's the biggest and best outdoor market to come to Newport City Centre! Over 25 traders from Poland, France, Tunisia, Italy and Germany to name but a few will be offering a wide range of food, drink and gifts for four days next week. It's their first time in this region so tell family and friends about this great opportunity. Log on to www.thecontinentalmarket.com for more details.

Town Centre Shopping Centre Development

The prospect of a top quality department store and associated shops moved a step closer after the Developers, Modus Corovest were appointed for the scheme. We are cautiously optimistic after many false dawns but this looks to be a serious development at last. The City Council issued the following press release.

Developers appointed for £200 million city centre transformation Modus Corovest (Newport) Ltd have been awarded the contract to redevelop Newport’s city centre. The plan includes 388,500 sq ft of retail space, a department store, restaurants, cafés and bars, a multi-screen cinema, car-parking facilities for up to 1,400 cars, 137 residential apartments including a 17 storey residential tower and a Health Club. The retail scheme will also bring the riverside area and commercial centre together allowing people to walk between the two via a new footbridge. The river frontage will also be landscaped with a new public space provisionally called Usk Place. The space will link to the new footbridge proposed across the River Usk. It is hoped work will start on the site towards the end of 2006 and take 3 or 4 years to complete.

Dianne Wins Best Garden competition

Congratulations to Mrs Diane Fletcher of Larch Grove Malpas. Dianne has won two prestigious Newport in Bloom" awards for her beautiful garden. She was first in Class One " Best Front Garden" and first in Class 13 "Best Residential Wildlife Garden".

For more pictures go to Best Garden page.

Jumping in July puts Malpas on the Map

The music festival organised by the City council in association with a number of local businesses and night clubs in the centre has been a great success. On Saturday we were treated to a popular local band with musicians from Malpas. Called "Rhythm meets Rhyme" they are a well organised and original band. They describe themselves as a fusion of Hip Hop and Funk and had quite a following as the final band of the evening. One of their songs is called "Malpas" and relates to the local roots of the band.

The event has been an outstanding success and a wide range of artists from many countries have performed.
You can see Rhythm meets Rhyme perform next at the Riverside Tavern on july 27

Malpas Neighbourhood Meeting 20 July 2005

The quarterly Neighbourhood Meeting takes place on Wednesday at 6.30pm at Malpas Court School.
The development of Malpas Court House will be discussed as well as some news about the City Centre development.

Police Surgery at Malpas Library - Community Liaison Officer for Malpas

PC Nigel Jones will be available to discuss local policing issues at the Library from 2 until 5pm on Tuesday 19 July.

Primary School Reorganisation Proposal in Malpas

As you are aware, following the Council's Cabinet authorisation, the LEA has consulted on proposals to reorganise primary education in Malpas. Over 140 letters were received following this consultation including e-mails from our three Councillors. There were over 110 communications not in favour and over 30 in favour. In light of the consultation and the views received very careful consideration was given to this matter and it has been recommended that the Cabinet does NOT go ahead with the suggestion that Malpas Park and Malpas Court Schools close and that a new school opens on the Malpas Court site.

For those of you who have received newsletters from the Malpas Three and have been at consultation meetings you will know that your local Councillors have maintained that there is room for three schools in Malpas especially with the introduction of the Foundation Curriculum at Key Stage 1 level in 2007/08. In fact we have visited two schools where pilots have been introduced and are informed that the Welsh Assembly are extending this to all schools in Wales. We are very excited about the prospect.

You will remember that the Malpas Three said that all of our schools were a vital part of our community. The closure of any of them would have had a detrimental affect on local life. It was also pointed out at the consultation meetings that the projected pupil numbers were unsafe and more realistic figures were given. The Maximum Open Enrolment figures also showed that there was no necessity to close any schools in Malpas. We are told that when figures were produced to the Welsh Assembly Government, the Civil Servants agreed with those submitted by the Malpas Three councillors, and disagreed with those submitted by the LEA.

There were other comments made by the Ward Members and by the Community that are too numerous to write in this short newsletter and you will have seen that the Council is a listening Council having carefully considered the views of the three Local Members and the community as a whole.

The Malpas Three are very proud of the excellent record of all three of our schools and will continue to support any endeavours to maintain and improve the exceptional facilities we have in our ward.

go to full report

go to our original objections

1. Redcastle Shops Planning Application
We have had no representations from any residents on this application but understand that a group of people have held a meeting to which we were not invited. This meeting has resulted in a petition to the Planning department. We have always advised residents to write individual letters as these are far more effective.

With regard to the opening hours the Planning Officers have agreed that Mondays to Saturdays should be 07.00 hrs to 23.00 hrs and Sundays and Bank Holidays 07.00 hrs to 22.00 hrs. No delivery to or from the site can be made outside of these times. It was felt by Officers that, if these times were not agreed the applicant would go to the Welsh Assembly to appeal. These times relate closely with the other businesses in the area and will minimise the risk of an appeal to further extend the hours.

The change of use to A3 a decision has not been made at present. The Ward Councillors have made representations on this and asked that, if the Planning Officers are mindful to agree to a Pizza outlet, a condition is imposed stating that if this type of A3 closes, a new application should be made for any other A3 use. We have also asked the Planning Officers and the Developer to request that the outlet provide litter bins in strategic places in the area.

With regard to the anticipated traffic problems, we have asked our Officers to inform the Developer to deposit the £15K agreed with the Council at an early date in order that Highways can carry out necessary works quickly.

The application for the footpath closure requested that it remain closed until August 4 but it is felt that it will be open before this date.

2. Redcastle Shops Planning Application( Closure of Path)
When work started on the site they discovered a major unexpected problem with the sewerage. Previously it had been connected to the main foul water drainage on Malpas Road so for years sewerage from the site has been contaminating the the foul water system. The developers were therefore entitled to ask for closure of the path to Hollybush so that they could connect the sewerage to the proper system. The order was until 4 August 2005 but the developers think it will be re-open ed before this date.

Abuse of One Way System between Russell Drive and Westfield Drive
We have many complaints over the years about the abuse of the one ways system at this point. It is extremely dangerous to find cars driving through the chicane , often at reckless speeds when drivers from Westfield Way are concentrating on traffic only from the Westfield Drive direction. If you witness anyone abusing this junction we urge you to call the police and report the numbers of transgressors.

Harvester application to extend opening hours
The Harvester Public House has applied to extend the hours for the sale of alcohol, hot drink and /or food to operate from 10.00 hrs to 00.00hrs Monday to Sunday and for hours noted on notable days and certain international events

• Note:This is for information only. Under new regulations the Malpas three cannot represent any residents views at the Licensing Hearing.

Residents who wish to support or oppose the application must act individually.

Malpas Court School : The Malpas Quilt
Paul Flynn MP unveiled the Malpas Quilt at Malpas Court School on Friday 10 June 2005. For more details and a video of the event go to Paul's video section.

Development of Chapman Close Properties
Residents have contacted us about the future of boarded up houses in Chapman Close. These former M.O.D. properties have had extra car parking spaces added and have been advertised for sale this week in the Local press.
The 8 homes are being sold by Davies & Son (243515) in conjunction with Annington Homes For more information go to

Parc-y-Prior application to extend opening times
The pub has applied for an extension to their opening hours to midnight on
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and 1.00am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Other variations include the removal of restrictions relating to drinking up time, to allow credit sales, provision of late night refreshment and to allow limited entertainment.
• Note:This is for information only. Under new regulations the Malpas three cannot represent any residents views at the Licensing Hearing.

Residents who wish to support or oppose the application must act individually.

Planning Application for Land between Malpas Road and Chadwick Close

The Malpas Three are opposed to the development at this site for the reasons in our statement of opposition on the reverse of this leaflet.

This site (known locally as Cooks land after the previous owner) has been the subject of a planning application for houses for several decades. Originally the plans included access through Chadwick Close but the Malpas Three objected after a previous application was renewed. The access was then removed from the plans and until the Malpas Road was de-trunked no access was possible to the site. At one stage the developers contemplated knocking down houses for a proposed access via Westfield Drive.

We were reasonably happy with the previous plans but are concerned about the density of this current application.

go to the full text of our objections

WWII photo project:

Do you own photographs from the 1940’s / World War Two era of Newport or the people of Newport? To celebrate Local History Month and Commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the end of WWII, Newport Community Learning and Libraries are inviting people to bring their photographs to the library to have them copied to form part of an exhibition.

To find out more contact Mandy Edwards in Community Learning and Libraries on 265539 or email her at mandy.edwards@newport.gov.uk. Photographs can be brought to either Newport Central Library, John Frost Square between 9.30am – 1.00pm or Malpas Library, Pillmawr Road between 2.00pm – 4.30pm on Saturday 21st May 2005.

Claremont and Pilton Vale Wildlife park and pathway
As part of the renovation of the wildlife area our officers suggested that another link be provided to access to the area. We insisted that they consult with residents first and the result is that all were against with only one in favour.

Claremont Lighting replacement
We complained three weeks ago to our Highways Department about the failure to remove the old light standard lights and the wastefulness of having both on at the same time. We are still waiting for a positive reply but we have been told what they think is the cause of the delay. Apparently the Contractor has a heavy workload and has been asked by other Authorities to complete the installation of new lights before the year end. Hopefully it will not be too long before they come and dismantle the old lights now we are in a new financial year.

Lighting on Malpas Road
We are sorry that the lights on this part of the highway have been out for over three months despite our constant complaints to our officers.
This was due to a cable fault and it took longer than the Highways Department anticipated. Obviously we did not want the Grasscrete to be disturbed after we had just put it down. Fortunately the Grasscrete did not have to be touched.

New Shopping Centre at Redcastle site
The proposed tenants of most of the units have now been announced. There will be a Tesco Express, A Bathroom Showroom, Opal Computers, A Betting Office and a Pizza Restaurant. The other units are still under discussion.

Residents have contacted us over the following issues.

A proposed Change of use and time to a food outlet by the Pizza restaurant. The two applications are to change the opening hours and the change of one unit from retail to food. The opening hours
can be addressed by changing some of them eg the bathroom store need not open until 11 o'clock at night. With the change of use of Unit 7 to a Pizza outlet the Authority can insist on a condition that will make it a Pizza outlet only. If the owners changed they would have to apply for a change of use then before.

Other residents are concerned that a Pizza outlet will increase the already intolerable rubbish that litter Hollybush Avenue and the canal. Other concerns expressed is the noise of extraction fans at the rear and smells created by this.

Some residents contacted us over the security of the rear of the premises that overlook their properties on Westfield Way. The developers have assured us that the security of the rear will not be a problem. They have also agreed to soften the area with extensive planting at the rear and sides of site.

When the Malpas Three held a well attended consultation meeting to discuss the proposals there was general agreement that these units were the best development solution to the site and would bring excellent benefits to Malpas.

The major fear however was the increase in traffic and the possibility that north bound traffic might use Westfield and Holly bush avenue as a shortcut back towards the centre of town. We discussed a variety of solutions including making Westfield Way a one way street and even the blocking off of the Westfield Drive end. There was no consensus however as to which solution could achieve the best result. As the City Council have agreed that Traffic Monitoring would take place after the development was open the meeting agreed to wait until then so we analyse the true nature of the problem and then take appropriate measures to protect local residents

Westfield/ Rogerstone school

The two stage tendering process has just been completed. It is hoped that the pupils will be back at the newly built school in Rogerstone in September 2006. At the moment the Authority believe that the timescale can be met.