One of Britain’s newest cities is at risk of becoming an abandoned ruin as major brands exit due to antisocial behavior and economic decline.
The £117 million Friars Walk shopping center opened in Newport, South Wales, just 10 years ago – promising new life to the once proudly established port town.
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But nine modern shop units, right next to Marks and Spencer, have never been occupied and have remained boarded up since the precinct opened.
Now M&S has announced it’s leaving Newport along with River Island, which closed its doors permanently on April 19.
Debenhams departed years ago, discount stores B&M and Wilko have disappeared, and TGI Friday has served its last steak.
Locals blame competition from online shopping, exorbitant car parking prices, and the rise in the cost of living.
The town now has the highest proportion of empty shops in the country at 19 percent, according to a report from Centre for Cities.
But a survey of shoppers, most of them from the city, revealed they think it’s because Newport is “rough.”
One woman, a hospital nurse, revealed she’s frightened to make eye contact with anyone during her regular visits to drop a parcel off in Friars Walk.
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During the Sun’s visit, we watched in horror as a man dropped his trousers in a neighboring street and defecated on the pavement.
We saw discarded drug paraphernalia, people begging, and individuals sitting on pavements drinking alcohol from cans.
When it gets dark, prostitutes take their clients to an alleyway less than 50 yards from Friars Walk.
Even the city’s pawnbrokers on Commercial Street is boarded up.
It’s a far cry from 10 years ago when the shopping center developers boasted it had attracted 10 million visitors in its first 12 months.
The center was opened following Newport being granted city status by the Queen to mark her Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Today, there are real fears that when Marks and Spencer departs later this year, they will take other brands with them, sounding the death knell for Friars Walk.
Nurse Michele Davies, 61, said: “I can’t stand going in there, but I have to drop off a shopping item every now and again.
“I’m from Newport, and I hate to see it like this; it never used to be this way. It’s the people who have changed.”
The area is patrolled by a pair of “ambassadors” funded by the Home Office’s Safer Streets Fund.
They, along with a team of Police Community Support Officers, stop cyclists from riding through Newport’s pedestrianized streets and deal with low-level antisocial behavior.
But there’s a sense that the city’s substance abusers and alcoholics are getting away with it because they carry on their illegal activities in broad daylight for all to see.
Health food importer Morgan James, 30, said: “The countryside around Newport is amazing, but the city center is rough. That’s the only word for it.
“Once you get into Friars Walk, it’s okay, but getting here requires running the gauntlet of the surrounding streets. It’s not nice.”
Retired shoe shop proprietor David Reedsmith, 63, said: “I used to work here in Newport, and the place was crammed with shoppers.
“Today is the first time I’ve been back in years, and I’m saddened to see people just wandering around aimlessly.
“It’s a shame; they spent a lot of money on Friars Walk, but the city’s gone downhill since my day.”
Grandmother Helen Kerr, 53, who lives in Newport, said: “I’m gutted that Marks and Spencer is leaving; I love going there for my picky bits.
“There’s been a slow decline until a couple of years ago; since then, Newport has quickly gone downhill.”
Quantity surveyor Robert Waters, 43, said: “When I first came here and the new development was starting, I thought it would grow and become established.
“I hoped it would push the drug users and alcoholics out of the city center, but that hasn’t happened. It’s sad to see.”
But teacher Brogan Jones, 29, defended the city, saying: “I’m a proud Newport girl; I was born and brought up here, and it’s not all bad.
“But I admit we’ve lost some big names, and now Marks and Spencer is leaving. It makes me sad.”
Newport City Council said much of the city center is privately owned, which means there’s only so much they can do to address the issue.
They told The Sun: “The challenges facing high streets today are not unique to Newport, and the council has long recognized that there needs to be a move away from a heavy dependence on retail towards a more mixed-use.
“The number of empty properties in the city center has decreased in recent years, and we are proud of our independent businesses, which make up more than 60 percent of the total.”
Lifestyle & Culture Editor
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