In November 2013 I was approached by the South Wales Argus to supply a commentary piece on why I thought taking out a £90m loan to fund Friars Walk was a bad idea. I'm a nobody, so I suspect I was the only person they could find prepared to voice their opposition to such an idea.
My reasoning was simple. Friars Walk was the wrong thing at the wrong time. In a city which is economically depressed, employment and ways to earn money is what we need, not ways to spend it. And the fact that nobody from the private sector could be found to take the financial gamble suggested it probably wasn't the safest bet anyway.
On 26th November Newport City Council voted overwhelmingly to a deal that would see the city borrowing £90m which it would them loan to Queensbury to cover the cost of construction and fit-out of the development. This loan would be paid back at a commercial rate of interest.
On Nov 12th 2015 Friars Walk opened to much celebration from local media, politicians, and indeed the city as a whole, almost all of whom viewed the development as Newport's salvation around which a city-wide regeneration would arise.
That was then, this is now.
Today (29th June 2016) just seven months after Friars Walk opened its doors, the surprise news has broken that a proposed sale to Talisker Corporation - a Canadian real estate and management company - has fallen through. This has potential serious implications for the city that the Council (and indeed local media) appear to be downplaying, and we need to return back to November 2013 to understand why.
A news report in the Telegraph & Argus at the time revealed that...
"If Queensberry couldn’t pay back the cash the council could take the scheme over and sell it on or re-finance it. The firm has until 12 months after completion to repay the money – by June 2017 at the latest. But if it can’t refinance it or sell it, the council could be faced with costs of between £4 million to £7 million to fund the borrowing."
If such a situation were to transpire this would be extremely serious for a city already trying to balance the books following government cuts to its budget (Newport City Council has had to make £11 million in cuts in 2016 alone). Even at the optimistic figure of £7 million a year (not including interest), it would be 12 years before the Friars Walk loan is paid off. At the lower rate of £4 million we would be looking at over 22 years.
The press coming out of Queensbury/Newport City Council today is predictably blase about the deal falling through, with plenty of 'speaking to others', as if it's not a problem.
But it IS a problem, and the harsh reality is that finding a buyer in the current climate will be EXTREMELY difficult. The only way Friars Walk will attract a buyer is if it is an overwhelming commercial success.
So how successful is Friars Walk, and how bright or otherwise is its future?
To answer the second question first, and without even factoring in post-Brexit uncertainty, the future for shop retail isn't looking good. Experts are predicting a significant decline in the fortunes of brick and mortar retail that will be comparable with recession. At the same time online retail is coming to dominate the landscape to such a degree that John Lewis has already revealed it expects its online sales to overtake store sales by 2018, and has invested £500 million in preparing itself.
John Lewis you will remember is a direct competitor of Debenhams, which provides the anchor store for Friars Walk. It's safe to assume they share the same future vision for their businesses.
Internet retail is hitting certain types of retailers hardest, and is changing the face of retail. Women's clothes stores in particular are suffering as women become more comfortable with the convenience of online shopping, and according to the Local Data Company (the UK's retail experts) women's clothes stores are closing faster than any other type of High Street business. Women's clothes shops make up a sizeable percentage of outlets in Friars Walk.
[As an aside, the types of businesses doing well in this brave new world are barbers, mobile phone shops, tobacconists, hair & beauty salons, nail salons, and health clubs.]
Shopping centers in generally, like high streets, aren't particularly thriving. Latest data shows footfall is 9% down on high streets in the last five years, 3% down in shopping centers, and 5% up in retail parks. Evidence of this can be seen by the ongoing success of Newport Retail Park in Spytty.
With regards to the success of Friars Walk, we only have the PR and the number of units let on which to judge.
In May 2016 Queensbury proudly announced that 'more than five million shoppers have visited Newport's Friars Walk since it opened to the public six months ago.' Impressive figures indeed, but can we believe them, or is this merely an over-egging of the PR mix intended to attract a buyer? The PR surrounding Friars Walk has been nothing if not bullish and glaringly optimistic since the start.
To put that figure of five million shoppers into context, it would mean over 27,300 shoppers visiting the centre seven days a week since Friars Walk opened. On the times when I have visited I felt it hard to believe such a consistently high number was being achieved or sustained, but of course that is just my observation and opinion.
With regards units let, according to the leasing plan on the website, Friars Walk still has 19 vacant units awaiting interest. This is a significant proportion. So clearly the centre is finding it hard to achieve anywhere near full occupancy.
And of course if we are to judge Friars Walk on its attractiveness to potential buyers, we MUST consider the wider picture within which it sits - the surrounding city centre, the purchasing power of the local population, and whether it is capable of attracting outside visitors. With regards this last point, as a classic 'Clone Town' development it is certainly not attracting people from Cardiff or further afield, for why would you travel to Newport's Debenhams when you have a bigger one in Cardiff? This is the widely understood weakness and failure of Clone Town developments.
So when you look past the spin and the protective shield of optimism surrounding Friars Walk, it doesn't look so much of a good opportunity for potential buyers. The people of Newport's fondness for Friars Walk isn't enough to warrant a buyer spending upwards of £100 million on it. It needs to be a proven success and a good investment, and unfortunately for the people of Newport, it doesn't look like it is.
I don't wish to speculate on the likely reasons talks with Talisker Corporation collapsed. But they did and there is now a very real chance that Friars Walk could cost us all dearly in the very near future. I genuinely wish and hope that it doesn't, but I am deeply worried.
Showing posts with label Newport City Council. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newport City Council. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Labour launches all-out war on history, heritage and culture in Newport
Most residents of the city will recognise that culturally Newport is a shadow of its former self. You only need to look back to the 1980s and 1990s to find a city that was culturally vibrant with a hugely successful and throbbing nightlife, a global reputation for music (remember ‘Newport - The New Seattle’), and when the likes of Sir Elton John and David Bowie were performing at the Newport Centre.
The museum also used to attract major touring exhibitions. There was a time when queues formed across John Frost Square for entry to an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Gerald Scarf (the man behind the Pink Floyd ‘The Wall’ artwork and opening credits to ‘Yes Minister’). And as you walked around the town you got the feeling of a town built on a rich heritage played out on grand murals that most of Newport’s residents took for granted. That was just the way it was.
Newport was truly buzzing. All of this culture helped to bring people into the town (as it was then) and those people would spend money in our shops, pubs, clubs and restaurants. So the local economy benefitted. There were few, if any, boarded up shops and a thriving local independent retail community that gave the place identity and character.
It’s hard to think of Newport then and Newport now without being struck by the scale of the contrast.
The Labour-led Council’s long war of attrition against Newport’s history, heritage and culture stepped up a gear last year with the underhand destruction of the Chartist Mural in John Frost Square. This disastrously handled affair drew national attention and shock at just how arrogant an elected Council could be. A somewhat reluctant attempt at an apology was eventually dragged out of the Council, and promises were made by Council Leader Bob Bright that 2014 would be ‘a year in which Chartism is celebrated in diverse and imaginative ways that give their ideas a contemporary relevance.’
At the time of writing this blog we are just a few weeks away from the end of 2014. The ‘diverse and imaginative’ celebrations promised by Cllr Bright remain locked in the imagination. If it weren’t for Newport’s schools and schoolchildren recreating the Chartist march on the day of the 175th anniversary of the Chartist Uprising, we would have had virtually nothing to mark the single most momentous event in Newport’s history.
The latest assault comes with the announcement that it’s highly likely that Newport will lose its city centre museum, art gallery and library. According to a report in the South Wales Argus, ‘Proposals could see its [museum and art gallery] closure, with the collection moved out of the building and exhibited at temporary events with 13 full time jobs being lost’. This would be almost inconceivable that a city – supposedly ‘on the rise’ – would not have a city centre museum, art gallery or library. It is difficult, if not impossible to think of any other city that can make such a shameful claim.
As well as a proposal to close the museum, art gallery and library, there is also a proposal to reduce funding to the historically important Newport Medieval Ship.
The Newport Medieval Ship has been an inconvenience for the Council since the day it was discovered during the building of the Riverfront Arts Centre. As this case study from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement explains [click for link], its discovery was initially kept secret but was leaked. In one moment of inconvenience, Newport City Council’s simplest – and no doubt preferred option of quiet destruction of the remains was foiled and the Council was effectively lumbered with an albatross around its neck. The Council has never been a fan of the ship, but has had its hand forced to go along with the public, the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Friends of the Newport Ship in supporting the relic.
At the time of writing, news is breaking that Associated British Ports (ABP) have stepped forward as a hard-cash sponsor helping the Friends of the Newport Ship towards its target of £100,000 to rebuild the ship in a purpose built museum. ABP must be applauded for its vision and generosity.
Just a month earlier, a Newport City Council report [dated 3 October 2013] discusses disposal as a potential option. The negatives against destruction are listed as:
- Loss of opportunity to develop a visitor experience that tells a unique story
- Possible loss of museum’s accredited status
- Grants might be reclaimed
At the heart of the problem is the fact that the Labour-led Council really doesn’t see any value in Newport’s history, heritage and culture. Instead we have a Council that has given its unswerving loyalty to big brand retail logos. They just want Newport to be distilled down into a city of mere consumers spending what little hard-earned cash we have in the familiar retail brands of the typical clone High Street.
History, heritage and culture doesn’t really fit with multinational retail. The two tend to live in entirely different unconnected worlds. But if and when history, heritage and culture become an obstacle or an inconvenience, Newport City Council has no qualms in brushing it aside. Chartism is not as important as Next and Nandos to this Council.
The scale of this misguided devotion can be seen in the Council’s eagerness to put the city into hock for £90 million for a new shopping centre (built as a response to the popularity of Cwmbran Shopping Centre), yet it claims poverty and budget pressure as justification for closing down the museum, art gallery and library. No developers were prepared to take a gamble on funding Friars Walk, but such is the conviction to multinational retail that the Council signed OUR collective names on the loan form. So if we have to lose our history, heritage and culture to help them realise their dream of Newport as a city of shoppers, that’s the way it has to be.
This nonsense has to stop. Whatever side of the political spectrum we individually sit, we cannot let this arrogant, self-serving, misguided Council to ransack OUR city, OUR history, OUR heritage any longer.
NOTE At the time of writing neither Paul Flynn MP (Labour) or Jessica Morden MP (Labour) have stated an opinion on the proposed closure of Newport museum, art gallery and central library. One would expect a staunch criticism of the closures considering the reason behind them is apparently the Coalition's programme of austerity and budget cuts. However, in the absence of any such criticism from the MPs, this writer will assume they agree with any forthcoming closure, and by extension the austerity programme.
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
Newport City Summit - We need more than blanket optimism or cynicism
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| A tale of two cities. Cllr Bob Bright and Simon Gibson sat next to each other during a Q&A at The Celtic Manor, but the distance between the two is greater than it looks. |
Let me make one thing clear. NOBODY wants to see Newport's regeneration more than I do. I love Newport. I love the people, the culture, and the unique but hard to define 'something' that makes Newport special and different. If I didn't love Newport I would move elsewhere. But even if I won the Euromillions, my home would remain the city to which I will always belong.
There's a lot going on in Newport at the moment and there's certainly a feel that efforts are being made on a multitude of fronts. Some of these efforts I am a keen supporter of, and others I think are folly. For example, I found it difficult to play down my enthusiasm for the reNewport vision presented at the first Newport City Summit in February. I can't remember a time when Newport actually had a strategy or a vision, but reNewport at last presented a balanced and well researched vision I could really get behind.
Similarly, I'm a huge supporter of the Newport BID. This has the potential to transform the city centre and make it a more appealing environment for shoppers and business. I also am grateful that Admiral has chosen the city centre for its new office. The injection of several hundred workers at lunchtime has no doubt provided a considerable boost for local businesses. To be fair, I don't think I've heard a single word in opposition to Admiral arriving in the town, which underlines how much such a development is appreciated by all.
By contrast, I'm not a supporter of the Friars Walk development. In my opinion it's folly for the city to go into hock for £90 million to build a new shopping centre when what we really need is more industry and business to bring revenue IN to the area, instead of multinational retail chains taking yet more money OUT of the area.
Yet because I criticise things like the Friars Walk development I am considered by some an unwelcome and unhelpful cynic. I was even called 'relentlessly negative' by a contributor to the comments section on the South Wales Argus website recently (who obviously hadn't noticed those things for which I am a gushing advocate). I guess the mantra holds strong in Newport that 'you're either with us or against us' and we should all give 100% unswerving approval of everything that happens.
Newport is increasingly polarised in this way. Most people seem to sit in one of two camps. You are either unfailingly a supporter of everything that's going on (and by extension an unflinching supporter of Bob Bright's Labour led council), or you are cynically opposed to everything. Neither is helpful, but while having a balanced, pragmatic attitude where you have differing opinions on different aspects of the regeneration process makes far more sense, it clearly is a not popular approach.
So I went to the Newport City Summit in a mixed frame of mind. I could still taste the euphoria of February's Summit and the unveiling of the reNewport Report, but I suspected this time it would be more of a flag waving exercise for the council and less about reNewport. You may remember Bob Bright's comment at the time of the first Summit...
'We could all have written down those ideas.' Reaction of @NewportCouncil leader Bob Bright to @RE_NEWPORT report. But he didn't. No vision.
— Kevin Ward (@ArgusKevinWard) December 12, 2013
The second Summit agenda was issued in advance and showed that the event was indeed going to be more of an overall summary than the February event; giving an update on where Newport is with regards to all of the regeneration activity going on. It is of course vital that all regeneration efforts are viewed in relation to each other. Ideally, each should have a bearing on the direction of the others to be truly holistic. Sadly we don't appear to be at that level of organisation or strategic thinking, but it would be of huge benefit if we were. The regeneration programme still has a feel of separate projects happening at the same time with a hope that 'it all comes together'.
The Morning Session
The event kicked off with Councillor Bright giving a City Centre Regeneration Update, much of which centred on the Friar's Walk development. Mr Bright was followed by Simon Gibson, Chairman of the reNewport Task Force who gave a presentation on Driving Economic Growth for the City. These presentations were followed by a brief Q&A.
Both men can speak with authority and conviction, but Simon Gibson is particularly convincing and authoritative. Without wishing to sound like a fan boy (which I concede I might), Mr Gibson gave an impression of somebody who didn't have to be there, but who was because he is genuinely committed and believes in what he and his team are doing.
This was well illustrated when Mr Gibson addressed an earlier shouted comment from a protester about arms dealers and also a question about what the council was doing to help the under-privileged and homeless (there were only two protesters and they were half-hearted at best). Simon Gibson addressed both points with balance and care, even though they were clearly outside his remit, and he even went over to discuss the issues with the protesters during the break. I don't know what he said to them, but we heard nothing more from them throughout the rest of the day.
By contrast, Bob Bright was more guarded and defensive in nature. During the Q&A I asked for an update on the £90 million loan for the Friar's Walk development - when will the council start pulling down the loan, when will the city start paying the loan back, what kind of interest is due etc. Mr Bright said he wouldn't go into specifics, but assured the audience that no money had been drawn down yet. He also made a bullish claim that we can 'rest assured the council will be making a profit'. Let's hope that one doesn't come back to bite him on the backside.
The reNewport project continues to impress and progress. But this doesn't surprise me. There is a strong and growing movement in Newport of people who are advocates of technology as Newport's future. The movement comprises a growing number of business who meet monthly under the banner of Digital Tuesday and strongly complements the reNewport project. They are very focussed and are asking the questions that need to be answered if Newport truly is to develop as a centre of technology and reap the considerable rewards on offer.
reNewport and Digital Tuesday have a very different feel to the other regeneration efforts, which invariably are Council-led. They feel more democratic, inclusive, focussed, and crucially, they take a more critically informed approach. This is in contrast to the other 'suck it and see' regeneration activities.
I don't get the feeling there is any ongoing assessment of regeneration plans from the Council, or any feeling that evidence has informed the tactics adopted. Even asking questions or volunteering comments is not welcome. But what successful venture has ever been completed with only unflinching optimism at its heart?
You can't open a shop and stand behind the counter with a welcoming a smile and expect success as a given. You need to constantly assess what you're doing - whether you have the right stock, whether you're getting the best price from suppliers, whether you're charging the right price to your customers, whether the shop layout works etc. It has to be an ongoing process. Similar analogies can be made for building a successful football team, putting a man on the moon, or indeed regenerating a city. But I don't see that with Newport's regeneration programme. I don't see much by way of open dialogue, I don't see any KPIs being set, I just see 'build it and hope' and an expectation that we must all go along with this approach. They decide, and we accept (and of course foot the bill for their gut instincts).
However, fortunately for the Council, events such as the Newport City Summit largely attract the faithful. It was noticeable that during the Q&A sessions at the Newport City Summit, instead of a forest of curious hands raised from audience members, we had just a few solitary questions. Most people had come to listen and learn, not to question. One must assume they are all happy, supportive and convinced that everything that is going on will lead to success. I truly hope they're right.
The Afternoon Session
After lunch the stage was given over to presentations by Ian Edwards, Chief Executive of Celtic Manor Resort who looked at The NATO Summit and its Legacy, and Ceri Doyle, Chief Executive of Newport City Homes who gave a presentation on Newport - Building the Story. These were also followed by a Q&A session.
I won't dwell on Mr Edwards' presentation. I've made my views known on the myth of a legacy for Newport from the NATO Summit. I don't believe there is one. Yes, it's been fabulous for the Celtic Manor and it's wonderful that the resort has now established itself firmly in the top division of global venues for major events.
But, as a good friend pointed out recently, the reality is given away in the name - Celtic Manor RESORT. The events it holds are largely self contained within the confined of the resort and claims of major trickle down benefits to the city are hugely overplayed. I like the idea of the new Conference Centre, but Mr Edwards' claim that it will generate 100,000 room nights for other local hotels in reality means it will generate room nights for multinational hotel chains, not locally owned businesses. So more Champagne for Paris Hilton, more zero hour minimum wage jobs for Newportonians. I don't call that regeneration sorry.
Neither can I share Mr Edwards obvious joy at seeing the world 'Newport' in tiny letters at the bottom of CNN coverage of the NATO Summit. The word on the screens of the world's TVs only name checked us, it did nothing to show who we are or what we have to offer beyond the confines of the Celtic Manor. In my role as PR consultant I would feel cheeky presenting that to a client as 'coverage gained'.
There are more major events coming to the Manor, including the International Investment Conference taking place 20 - 21 November which, for some bizarre reason, seems to be of interest to nobody in the city, even though this is EXACTLY the kind of event we should be looking to take advantage of. The Celtic Manor will also host the InterAction Council next year, which presumably people WILL get excited about because it includes a few famous names.
Ceri Doyle's final presentation was somewhat left field. A new arrival to the city, Ms Doyle was particularly interesting and open during the Q&A session when the host Roger Hiscott, himself a key figure in the Digital Tuesday movement, asked about her views of Newport before she came here. 'Somewhat lacking in ambition' may not be what we would want to hear, but I got the feeling that the room could sympathise.
But as Ms Doyle has obviously learned, as a city we DO have ambition, the big question is; are we going about it the right way to turn ambition into success?
Nobody appreciates the value of positive thinking more than me. But I wish more people saw the value of also viewing things critically and of ongoing reassessment of our course. I left the second Newport City Summit with a feeling that we are progressing down an expensive and unfamiliar road with our combined fingers crossed that it leads to verdant fields around the corner. It may do, it may not. But I'd rather be walking down that road putting my trust in a Ordinance Survey map instead of simply a cheery smile and an optimistic song.
Friday, 10 October 2014
International Investment Conference - a genuine opportunity we must not miss!
It's now less than six week until the Celtic Manor Resort plays host to an international investment conference that was announced just over six weeks ago by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Welsh Government Minister for Economy, Science and Transport Edwina Hart. So we are halfway between the announcement of the conference and the actual conference taking place.
Apart from the initial excitement from local politicians following the announcement, have we heard anything since about how this event presents an opportunity for Newport, or about how Newport will be taking advantage? Of course we haven't. Or at least I haven't noticed.
This event presents an infinitely bigger opportunity for Newport and indeed Wales than the NATO Summit ever did. The world leaders and media who descended on Newport for the NATO Summit came to discuss global security issues, and they had a very tight schedule in which to conduct their business. Their remit was never to come here with a view to checking out Newport as a destination for business or tourism. And even if they wanted to, they certainly didn't have time.
Yet here we are with the world packing its overnight bag ready to come here and actually discuss international investment, and nobody in local government seems that bothered. I don't see endless tweets about 'opportunity' or 'putting Newport on the map' from the usual suspects as I did during NATO. Perhaps the investment conference is missing the celeb factor of Mr Obama, because frankly, that's all our local politicians cared about when NATO was in town.
Furthermore, the forthcoming conference will be focussing on what I and many others consider to be the REAL future for Newport and the surrounding area - ‘Embracing new technology for competitive advantage'.
With the demise of traditional industries such as steel and coal, Newport and South Wales lost the main source of income that had paid for the growth of our towns and cities throughout the 20th Century. We've tried to attract other industries to varying degrees of success, but what we really need is one overpowering industry that can take root here and which can come to represent us in the same way as steel and coal once did.
Technology offers that potential.
I'm not alone in thinking this and there is a growing local movement that, galvanised by the excellent reNewport report of February 2014, has taken upon itself to drive momentum for Newport as a centre of technology. For instance, launched by Sir Terry Matthews, the regular Digital Tuesday events held at Celtic Manor are gaining popularity as a forum for technology discussion and networking. I attended one recently and the optimism and enthusiasm of attendees and organisers was noticeable.
Many people in the Newport area will not be aware that Newport is excellently equipped to become a 'Silicon Valley' type centre of techology industries. We certainly have the infrastructure, the skills, and indeed a track record of hosting emerging and successful technology business. And in reNewport we have a vision laid out that can serve as a roadmap.
Newport itself was selected as one of the first ten Cities in the UK to become ‘super connected' as part of the UK Government’s £150million Urban Broadband Fund. Equipped with superfast and ultrafast broadband, funding is available for small and medium businesses, charities and social enterprises through Newport City Council.
We even have Europe's biggest data centre which is similar in size to Heathrow Terminal 5 and which is truly state-of-the-art.
This is all excellence stuff, and it just scratches the service of what we have to offer. This is what we need to be promoting to the outside world if we have any serious ambitions to attract inward investment and to grow Newport.
Technology should certainly be the focus of our ambition because technology industries are global, rich, growing rapidly, and offer an opportunity to deliver seriously rewarding careers and generate vast amounts of revenue for the area.
But this is where it hits a speed bump because our politicians seem totally disinterested and incapable of understanding the potential on offer. Instead we get a mindless infatuation with a new shopping centre that will deliver mostly part-time, zero-hour, minimum wage employment, and local councillors fighting over each other to have their photo taken next to President Obama.
Promotional activity should have started the moment the inward investment conference was announced. We should already be reaching out to delegates and global press well in advance to offer them invitations to tour and check out Newport as a technology business destination. The press in attendance will be business press and technology press, most of whom would certainly be interested in taking a look at what we have to offer; the tech businesses we already have here; our tech heritage and our infrastructure. This is in contrast to the military and political press that accompanied the NATO Summit who had no interest in such stuff.
As well as shouting about the benefits for technology businesses should they come here, we should also be shouting about the benefits for their employees. These benefits include cheaper house prices, so tech employees earning fat salaries will know they can afford beautiful houses in a beautiful part of the world.
I sincerely hope all this is in hand and we aren't just going to 'do a NATO' and stand on the sidelines with cap in hand when the international investment conference rolls into town. If it is all in hand, fine, but it might help to shut people like me up if we were kept informed of what the city is doing.
The trouble is, I don't believe it is in hand. Part of the problem will be that our councillors and politicians don't 'get' technology and consequently choose to put their faith, and our money, elsewhere on projects that won't deliver any lasting benefit.
They build shops when, as a city, we don't have money to spend. They build houses when there are not enough well paying jobs that people can afford mortgages. It's putting the cart before the horse time and time again.
We should be doing what we can to attract genuinely valuable business (not coffee chains and clothes shops) and developing an industrial base that generates inward revenue while creating good, well paid jobs. When people are in good jobs and earning good money THEN they will be able to afford houses and have money to spend in shops.
So let's see what happens with the forthcoming international investment conference. Will Newport take this opportunity by the scruff of the neck? It needs to get its skates on if it hasn't already started.
Apart from the initial excitement from local politicians following the announcement, have we heard anything since about how this event presents an opportunity for Newport, or about how Newport will be taking advantage? Of course we haven't. Or at least I haven't noticed.
This event presents an infinitely bigger opportunity for Newport and indeed Wales than the NATO Summit ever did. The world leaders and media who descended on Newport for the NATO Summit came to discuss global security issues, and they had a very tight schedule in which to conduct their business. Their remit was never to come here with a view to checking out Newport as a destination for business or tourism. And even if they wanted to, they certainly didn't have time.
Yet here we are with the world packing its overnight bag ready to come here and actually discuss international investment, and nobody in local government seems that bothered. I don't see endless tweets about 'opportunity' or 'putting Newport on the map' from the usual suspects as I did during NATO. Perhaps the investment conference is missing the celeb factor of Mr Obama, because frankly, that's all our local politicians cared about when NATO was in town.
Furthermore, the forthcoming conference will be focussing on what I and many others consider to be the REAL future for Newport and the surrounding area - ‘Embracing new technology for competitive advantage'.
With the demise of traditional industries such as steel and coal, Newport and South Wales lost the main source of income that had paid for the growth of our towns and cities throughout the 20th Century. We've tried to attract other industries to varying degrees of success, but what we really need is one overpowering industry that can take root here and which can come to represent us in the same way as steel and coal once did.
Technology offers that potential.
I'm not alone in thinking this and there is a growing local movement that, galvanised by the excellent reNewport report of February 2014, has taken upon itself to drive momentum for Newport as a centre of technology. For instance, launched by Sir Terry Matthews, the regular Digital Tuesday events held at Celtic Manor are gaining popularity as a forum for technology discussion and networking. I attended one recently and the optimism and enthusiasm of attendees and organisers was noticeable.
Many people in the Newport area will not be aware that Newport is excellently equipped to become a 'Silicon Valley' type centre of techology industries. We certainly have the infrastructure, the skills, and indeed a track record of hosting emerging and successful technology business. And in reNewport we have a vision laid out that can serve as a roadmap.
Newport itself was selected as one of the first ten Cities in the UK to become ‘super connected' as part of the UK Government’s £150million Urban Broadband Fund. Equipped with superfast and ultrafast broadband, funding is available for small and medium businesses, charities and social enterprises through Newport City Council.
We even have Europe's biggest data centre which is similar in size to Heathrow Terminal 5 and which is truly state-of-the-art.
This is all excellence stuff, and it just scratches the service of what we have to offer. This is what we need to be promoting to the outside world if we have any serious ambitions to attract inward investment and to grow Newport.
Technology should certainly be the focus of our ambition because technology industries are global, rich, growing rapidly, and offer an opportunity to deliver seriously rewarding careers and generate vast amounts of revenue for the area.
But this is where it hits a speed bump because our politicians seem totally disinterested and incapable of understanding the potential on offer. Instead we get a mindless infatuation with a new shopping centre that will deliver mostly part-time, zero-hour, minimum wage employment, and local councillors fighting over each other to have their photo taken next to President Obama.
Promotional activity should have started the moment the inward investment conference was announced. We should already be reaching out to delegates and global press well in advance to offer them invitations to tour and check out Newport as a technology business destination. The press in attendance will be business press and technology press, most of whom would certainly be interested in taking a look at what we have to offer; the tech businesses we already have here; our tech heritage and our infrastructure. This is in contrast to the military and political press that accompanied the NATO Summit who had no interest in such stuff.
As well as shouting about the benefits for technology businesses should they come here, we should also be shouting about the benefits for their employees. These benefits include cheaper house prices, so tech employees earning fat salaries will know they can afford beautiful houses in a beautiful part of the world.
I sincerely hope all this is in hand and we aren't just going to 'do a NATO' and stand on the sidelines with cap in hand when the international investment conference rolls into town. If it is all in hand, fine, but it might help to shut people like me up if we were kept informed of what the city is doing.
The trouble is, I don't believe it is in hand. Part of the problem will be that our councillors and politicians don't 'get' technology and consequently choose to put their faith, and our money, elsewhere on projects that won't deliver any lasting benefit.
They build shops when, as a city, we don't have money to spend. They build houses when there are not enough well paying jobs that people can afford mortgages. It's putting the cart before the horse time and time again.
We should be doing what we can to attract genuinely valuable business (not coffee chains and clothes shops) and developing an industrial base that generates inward revenue while creating good, well paid jobs. When people are in good jobs and earning good money THEN they will be able to afford houses and have money to spend in shops.
So let's see what happens with the forthcoming international investment conference. Will Newport take this opportunity by the scruff of the neck? It needs to get its skates on if it hasn't already started.
Friday, 12 September 2014
NATO Summit Wales - The Winners & Losers
So that was the NATO Summit Wales 2014, and what an exciting and dramatic couple of weeks it was. But now it's all over, it's time to look at what really happened during our 15 minutes of fame.
While the event was certainly divisive, with some people relishing its arrival and others outraged by its inconvenience, few people could honestly say they didn't find the whole experience interesting and even entertaining. On that point at least we can be mostly in agreement.
The most welcome surprise were the anti-NATO protests, which were modest and trouble-free, thanks to the overwhelming and well organised security and to concerted efforts by anti-NATO organisations. However, while inevitable bickering about numbers continues, I don't think the protest organisers could honestly be happy with the number of protesters that came. Was it a case of protester apathy? Were they put off by the scale of security? We can't be certain. But we can all be thankful that protesters were able to make their points and have their voices heard, all without a single window being smashed.
OBAMA-MANIA
The actual business of the Summit didn't appear to hold much interest for the people of Newport, and I doubt many Newportonians, if asked, could mention more than a handful of the world leaders in attendance or outcomes of any debates. Newport was understandably more interested in the spectacle - the huge police presence; the skies filled with helicopters and jets; the battleships; the protests; the occasional local political dramas; and of course the movements of the headline act - US President Barack Obama (who unfortunately appeared to have a David Cameron grafted onto his hip for the duration of his visit).
Mr Obama mesmerised Newport to such an extent that other world leaders didn't get a look in. It was all about Obama. Understandable perhaps, but if Newport's goal was to 'showcase itself to the world' we have to admit that in being so overwhelmingly lost in Obama-mania, we also lost focus.
While we were following every footstep of the American president did anyone notice where the other world leaders were or what they were doing? Was there any attempt to engage any other world leader about the benefits of Newport? I'm going to guess not. As a city we've clearly put all our eggs in the American basket. We're obviously not that bothered about Europe and I very much doubt (m)any of the other world leaders will have been particularly encouraged or enthused to 'spread the word' about Newport. After all, we blatantly ignored them.
PUTTING NEWPORT ON THE MAP (AGAIN)
Media coverage outside the region understandably focussed on the 'business' of the Summit, with very little space given to the nuts and bolts of how the event was organised or its impact on us locally. That was the remit of our local and regional media to keep us informed and engaged, and they did a sterling job. I can't imagine the editorial team at the South Wales Argus has had this much fun in years.
The business of the summit was of global interest, but the big moments for us - such as Mr Obama's visit to Mount Pleasant Primary School, the NATO Festival, and the military fly past - were really of local interest only. These were nice moments for Newport, but were not big news for the rest of the world. The school visit made a nice picture for the world's press and summed up in one image what a trouble-free event it was, but we'd be naïve if we thought it did much to actually promote Newport.
We need to keep some perspective here and not get too excited. While Obama's school visit was a huge and wonderful event for the school and for Newport in general, it was after all just another school visit by a President of the United States. They do it wherever they go. It's classic touchy-feely PR and we shouldn't start clutching at straws and thinking it's 'put us on the map' in any way.
In reality, Newport didn't really benefit at all from national and global media coverage. Yes, the name Newport was in there alongside Wales and Cardiff, but we really needed more than simply name placement if we were to seriously 'showcase' ourselves. As it is, the good people of Badiddlyboing (Odawidaho) and Duisberg in Germany might have noticed the Newport name in passing, but do they have any better understanding or awareness of the place? Probably no more than they have a better understanding or awareness of Enniskillen after it hosted the G8 Summit in 2013.
The Enniskillen G8 Summit has quite a few parallels with the NATO Wales Summit. Prior to the G8 there was much talk of 'putting County Fermanagh on the map' and David Cameron declared the summit would be a "brilliant advertisement" for Northern Ireland, and certainly Enniskillen. You will have heard similar words used in the run up to the NATO Summit in Newport. I've yet to hear of any huge input of tourism or business to Enniskillen, but that's probably just because it has yet to be reported [sarcasm mode off].
Unfortunately, as predicted on this blog, the overhyped influx of journalists failed to materialise or deliver. We were promised an army of international media who would all be eating, drinking and sightseeing locally, and then subsequently enthusing about Newport to the rest of the world. Did anybody actually see any of them wandering the streets of Newport, taking pictures and making notes? Of course they didn't. Mostly political and military correspondents, the journalists were tasked with covering NATO business and were never here with a remit to check out the local scenery or hospitality. Also, they were keeping to a very tight schedule and were shepherded around from event to event with no real spare time to visit the rest of the city.
Like the Ryder Cup, the actual event happened anywhere but Newport (with the exception of a school visit).
WE KEEP A WELCOME IN THE HILLSIDES
If there is one thing the world possibly did learn about Newport, it's that we are a happy, smiling, welcoming bunch on the whole. The people of Newport did the city proud. Regardless of whether they were for or against the event, people engaged with activities, were welcoming and polite, and tolerated the inconvenience in generally good spirit.
Of course there were benefits in the huge police presence. Crime was seemingly non-existent for the duration, and the roads were a dream as most of us heeded warnings about probable disruption. This made Newport generally a much more pleasant and laid back place. As @MikeCollins8 pointed out to me recently, if the NATO Summit proved one thing, it's that a visible police presence DOES have a positive effect.
The various police forces have been quick to thank the people of Newport for their hospitality, and the relationship between community and police was a good one throughout. It was nice to see a large party of police enjoying an evening meal at the Ridgeway Bar & Kitchen, and Caerleon also benefitted from their presence with lots of off duty police enjoying local hospitality. This was one area where Newport certainly did reap some rewards.
DELIVERING ON PROMISES?
As the Summit event was undoubtedly a trouble-free 'success' it was to be expected that people would waste no time in celebrating. That's not a problem in itself. But when the usual suspects get so excited they start to bang on about it heralding a golden era they need to be challenged.
On the second morning of the event, before President Obama had even finished his business, Will Godfrey, Chief Executive of Newport City Council tweeted excitedly...
They may be aware of our existence Paul, but exactly what facilities did they see? The world saw the Celtic Manor, it didn't see Newport. The politicians, the delegates, the entourages, the journalists... none of them saw much outside the temporary and tightly controlled environment of the Summit itself. To say we 'truly showcased' anything is ridiculous.
The chance to showcase Newport has been the rallying cry in the run-up to the event with the suggestion that, by presenting the city in a positive light we will undoubtedly reap rewards of inward investment, more business, and an increase in tourists. I don't for a moment disagree that Newport needs to present itself in a positive light for the sake of economic regeneration, however, in response to Mr Godfrey and Mr Flynn (and others) I have to ask the simple question 'Just what exactly did we do to showcase the city and what we have to offer?'
The thing about opportunity is; it's nothing unless you do something to take hold of it. I can walk into a trade show of 1000 businesses tomorrow and see it as an 'opportunity' for my business, but if I just stand there looking I won't convert any of that opportunity into reward. I need to engage with the exhibitors and demonstrate exactly what I have to offer. This is where the powers-that-be failed Newport. They certainly saw the opportunity, but did little, if anything, to grab it. They collectively stood around smiling and hoping that reward would fall like fairy dust from the NATO flag.
The problem now is; the NATO Summit event is over and we are now entering the '...and?' phase. It's a familiar feeling for the people of Newport who expected much from the Ryder Cup. It came, it went, and little if any benefit was felt on the street. Unless a legacy benefit is felt soon, people will have the same resigned disappointed view of the NATO Summit as they have of the Ryder Cup.
The Celtic Manor did a great job of providing the host facilities, and in doing so has further climbed the ladder of international venue credibility. And the UK Government has done a sterling job of organising the NATO event and the security. Other international events will decent upon the Celtic Manor, and indeed there are already whisperings and rumours of another major event on the way in a few short years. The NATO Summit certainly showed that the Celtic Manor and UK Government could host the G8, so I wouldn't be surprised to see that heading our way.
From an opportunity perspective, G8 would be far more valuable to Newport. It's a summit about global economics, and so the attending journalists and delegates will be of more value. These are people we certainly should be looking to impress. We can only hope that Newport elders can look past the thrill of the event and make more of a concerted strategic effort if such an event did come.
Perhaps that's the real mistake made with the NATO Summit. It's an event about global politics and security, not about economic development and trade. It was probably a mistake to think it could ever be of any real major benefit to the city.
But should the day come when a G8 Summit is announced, Newport should waste no time at all at reaching out to every financial and business publication/journalist likely to attend and conceiving ways to truly showcase the city to them.
SO WHO DID BENEFIT?
There were businesses and organisations that certainly benefitted directly from the Summit, if only on local level. A number of businesses were invited to the Celtic Manor to demonstrate their wares, and although it's unlikely they'll suddenly find themselves deluged with international orders, they will have enjoyed a heightened local profile that they can hopefully build on. And as mentioned above, quite a few local eateries and hostelries will have benefitted from an influx of hungry coppers and even hungry protesters.
Nobody can begrudge any of these businesses their temporary spike in trade. However, we should be careful about hailing this limited success as an overall triumph for Newport when, for every business that enjoyed a spike there was a business that took a definite hit.
The manager of the Kingsway Shopping Centre has claimed in the South Wales Argus that the Summit 'depleted sales' for his retailers. With the roads empty for the duration of the event we can only presume many other business noticed a drop in trade. On top of this we need to factor in the businesses that were stretched when people took leave to look after children when schools were closed, or which were inconvenience in other ways. I doubt anybody will do any actual cost/benefit calculation, but it's safe to assume the actual cost to the local business community easily outweighed the benefit for the lucky few.
I sincerely hope I've hugely misjudged this and Newport will benefit directly from the NATO Summit. I really don't see how it can, and I'll put good money on the people of Newport viewing the event with resentment in a year's time after the thrill has faded. I suspect the big optimistic words of Will Godfrey et al will come back to bite them on the backside. For Newport's sake I hope mine do instead. But let's just say I'm not going to invest in thicker trousers any time soon.
While the event was certainly divisive, with some people relishing its arrival and others outraged by its inconvenience, few people could honestly say they didn't find the whole experience interesting and even entertaining. On that point at least we can be mostly in agreement.
The most welcome surprise were the anti-NATO protests, which were modest and trouble-free, thanks to the overwhelming and well organised security and to concerted efforts by anti-NATO organisations. However, while inevitable bickering about numbers continues, I don't think the protest organisers could honestly be happy with the number of protesters that came. Was it a case of protester apathy? Were they put off by the scale of security? We can't be certain. But we can all be thankful that protesters were able to make their points and have their voices heard, all without a single window being smashed.
OBAMA-MANIA
The actual business of the Summit didn't appear to hold much interest for the people of Newport, and I doubt many Newportonians, if asked, could mention more than a handful of the world leaders in attendance or outcomes of any debates. Newport was understandably more interested in the spectacle - the huge police presence; the skies filled with helicopters and jets; the battleships; the protests; the occasional local political dramas; and of course the movements of the headline act - US President Barack Obama (who unfortunately appeared to have a David Cameron grafted onto his hip for the duration of his visit).
Mr Obama mesmerised Newport to such an extent that other world leaders didn't get a look in. It was all about Obama. Understandable perhaps, but if Newport's goal was to 'showcase itself to the world' we have to admit that in being so overwhelmingly lost in Obama-mania, we also lost focus.
While we were following every footstep of the American president did anyone notice where the other world leaders were or what they were doing? Was there any attempt to engage any other world leader about the benefits of Newport? I'm going to guess not. As a city we've clearly put all our eggs in the American basket. We're obviously not that bothered about Europe and I very much doubt (m)any of the other world leaders will have been particularly encouraged or enthused to 'spread the word' about Newport. After all, we blatantly ignored them.
PUTTING NEWPORT ON THE MAP (AGAIN)
Media coverage outside the region understandably focussed on the 'business' of the Summit, with very little space given to the nuts and bolts of how the event was organised or its impact on us locally. That was the remit of our local and regional media to keep us informed and engaged, and they did a sterling job. I can't imagine the editorial team at the South Wales Argus has had this much fun in years.
The business of the summit was of global interest, but the big moments for us - such as Mr Obama's visit to Mount Pleasant Primary School, the NATO Festival, and the military fly past - were really of local interest only. These were nice moments for Newport, but were not big news for the rest of the world. The school visit made a nice picture for the world's press and summed up in one image what a trouble-free event it was, but we'd be naïve if we thought it did much to actually promote Newport.
We need to keep some perspective here and not get too excited. While Obama's school visit was a huge and wonderful event for the school and for Newport in general, it was after all just another school visit by a President of the United States. They do it wherever they go. It's classic touchy-feely PR and we shouldn't start clutching at straws and thinking it's 'put us on the map' in any way.
In reality, Newport didn't really benefit at all from national and global media coverage. Yes, the name Newport was in there alongside Wales and Cardiff, but we really needed more than simply name placement if we were to seriously 'showcase' ourselves. As it is, the good people of Badiddlyboing (Odawidaho) and Duisberg in Germany might have noticed the Newport name in passing, but do they have any better understanding or awareness of the place? Probably no more than they have a better understanding or awareness of Enniskillen after it hosted the G8 Summit in 2013.
The Enniskillen G8 Summit has quite a few parallels with the NATO Wales Summit. Prior to the G8 there was much talk of 'putting County Fermanagh on the map' and David Cameron declared the summit would be a "brilliant advertisement" for Northern Ireland, and certainly Enniskillen. You will have heard similar words used in the run up to the NATO Summit in Newport. I've yet to hear of any huge input of tourism or business to Enniskillen, but that's probably just because it has yet to be reported [sarcasm mode off].
Unfortunately, as predicted on this blog, the overhyped influx of journalists failed to materialise or deliver. We were promised an army of international media who would all be eating, drinking and sightseeing locally, and then subsequently enthusing about Newport to the rest of the world. Did anybody actually see any of them wandering the streets of Newport, taking pictures and making notes? Of course they didn't. Mostly political and military correspondents, the journalists were tasked with covering NATO business and were never here with a remit to check out the local scenery or hospitality. Also, they were keeping to a very tight schedule and were shepherded around from event to event with no real spare time to visit the rest of the city.
Like the Ryder Cup, the actual event happened anywhere but Newport (with the exception of a school visit).
WE KEEP A WELCOME IN THE HILLSIDES
If there is one thing the world possibly did learn about Newport, it's that we are a happy, smiling, welcoming bunch on the whole. The people of Newport did the city proud. Regardless of whether they were for or against the event, people engaged with activities, were welcoming and polite, and tolerated the inconvenience in generally good spirit.
Of course there were benefits in the huge police presence. Crime was seemingly non-existent for the duration, and the roads were a dream as most of us heeded warnings about probable disruption. This made Newport generally a much more pleasant and laid back place. As @MikeCollins8 pointed out to me recently, if the NATO Summit proved one thing, it's that a visible police presence DOES have a positive effect.
The various police forces have been quick to thank the people of Newport for their hospitality, and the relationship between community and police was a good one throughout. It was nice to see a large party of police enjoying an evening meal at the Ridgeway Bar & Kitchen, and Caerleon also benefitted from their presence with lots of off duty police enjoying local hospitality. This was one area where Newport certainly did reap some rewards.
DELIVERING ON PROMISES?
As the Summit event was undoubtedly a trouble-free 'success' it was to be expected that people would waste no time in celebrating. That's not a problem in itself. But when the usual suspects get so excited they start to bang on about it heralding a golden era they need to be challenged.
On the second morning of the event, before President Obama had even finished his business, Will Godfrey, Chief Executive of Newport City Council tweeted excitedly...
#NATOSummitWales - truly showcased Newport to international audience - Newport unquestionably #cityontherise
— Will Godfrey (@WillGodfrey1) September 5, 2014
Mr Godfrey wasn't alone and many others have posted similar excited sentiments. Paul Flynn MP on his blog wrote "Thousands of very influential people will now be favourably disposed towards Newport. Large areas of the world are aware of our existence and the facilities that we have to offer."They may be aware of our existence Paul, but exactly what facilities did they see? The world saw the Celtic Manor, it didn't see Newport. The politicians, the delegates, the entourages, the journalists... none of them saw much outside the temporary and tightly controlled environment of the Summit itself. To say we 'truly showcased' anything is ridiculous.
 |
| President Obama's motorcade. The extent of Newport's 'showcasing' amounted to the US president being acquainted with the M4 and Brynglas Tunnels [ photo used by kind permission of www.space-events.co.uk ] |
The chance to showcase Newport has been the rallying cry in the run-up to the event with the suggestion that, by presenting the city in a positive light we will undoubtedly reap rewards of inward investment, more business, and an increase in tourists. I don't for a moment disagree that Newport needs to present itself in a positive light for the sake of economic regeneration, however, in response to Mr Godfrey and Mr Flynn (and others) I have to ask the simple question 'Just what exactly did we do to showcase the city and what we have to offer?'
The thing about opportunity is; it's nothing unless you do something to take hold of it. I can walk into a trade show of 1000 businesses tomorrow and see it as an 'opportunity' for my business, but if I just stand there looking I won't convert any of that opportunity into reward. I need to engage with the exhibitors and demonstrate exactly what I have to offer. This is where the powers-that-be failed Newport. They certainly saw the opportunity, but did little, if anything, to grab it. They collectively stood around smiling and hoping that reward would fall like fairy dust from the NATO flag.
The problem now is; the NATO Summit event is over and we are now entering the '...and?' phase. It's a familiar feeling for the people of Newport who expected much from the Ryder Cup. It came, it went, and little if any benefit was felt on the street. Unless a legacy benefit is felt soon, people will have the same resigned disappointed view of the NATO Summit as they have of the Ryder Cup.
The Celtic Manor did a great job of providing the host facilities, and in doing so has further climbed the ladder of international venue credibility. And the UK Government has done a sterling job of organising the NATO event and the security. Other international events will decent upon the Celtic Manor, and indeed there are already whisperings and rumours of another major event on the way in a few short years. The NATO Summit certainly showed that the Celtic Manor and UK Government could host the G8, so I wouldn't be surprised to see that heading our way.
From an opportunity perspective, G8 would be far more valuable to Newport. It's a summit about global economics, and so the attending journalists and delegates will be of more value. These are people we certainly should be looking to impress. We can only hope that Newport elders can look past the thrill of the event and make more of a concerted strategic effort if such an event did come.
Perhaps that's the real mistake made with the NATO Summit. It's an event about global politics and security, not about economic development and trade. It was probably a mistake to think it could ever be of any real major benefit to the city.
But should the day come when a G8 Summit is announced, Newport should waste no time at all at reaching out to every financial and business publication/journalist likely to attend and conceiving ways to truly showcase the city to them.
SO WHO DID BENEFIT?
There were businesses and organisations that certainly benefitted directly from the Summit, if only on local level. A number of businesses were invited to the Celtic Manor to demonstrate their wares, and although it's unlikely they'll suddenly find themselves deluged with international orders, they will have enjoyed a heightened local profile that they can hopefully build on. And as mentioned above, quite a few local eateries and hostelries will have benefitted from an influx of hungry coppers and even hungry protesters.
Nobody can begrudge any of these businesses their temporary spike in trade. However, we should be careful about hailing this limited success as an overall triumph for Newport when, for every business that enjoyed a spike there was a business that took a definite hit.
The manager of the Kingsway Shopping Centre has claimed in the South Wales Argus that the Summit 'depleted sales' for his retailers. With the roads empty for the duration of the event we can only presume many other business noticed a drop in trade. On top of this we need to factor in the businesses that were stretched when people took leave to look after children when schools were closed, or which were inconvenience in other ways. I doubt anybody will do any actual cost/benefit calculation, but it's safe to assume the actual cost to the local business community easily outweighed the benefit for the lucky few.
I sincerely hope I've hugely misjudged this and Newport will benefit directly from the NATO Summit. I really don't see how it can, and I'll put good money on the people of Newport viewing the event with resentment in a year's time after the thrill has faded. I suspect the big optimistic words of Will Godfrey et al will come back to bite them on the backside. For Newport's sake I hope mine do instead. But let's just say I'm not going to invest in thicker trousers any time soon.
Monday, 30 June 2014
Where does cycling fit within £250m plans for Newport?
In towns and cities across the UK cycling is being encouraged and enabled by everything from cycle paths to urban cycle hire. But where, if at all, does cycling fit within Newport's vision of the future?
Regardless of what you think about cycling, it's getting ever more popular and will continue to do so. Animosity will no doubt continue to rage between cyclists and car drivers, but that's not what this blog is concerned with. In this blog I will look at the importance of cycling to the future of Newport and ask whether Newport City Council has fully considered two wheeled transport, or are we once again missing the boat and lining up problems for ourselves?
Newport is on the up. Apparently. That means growth, and growth means more people and more business (hopefully). New housing developments in and around the city are being announced periodically, for example the old Alcan site in Rogerstone. Back in July 2012 the South Wales Argus was reporting how Newport City Council’s Local Development Plan allocates 700 houses for the site. There have since been several announcements of new housing developments. And if the reNewport ambitions to transform the city into a high tech hub become reality, we will even see a 'software university' as well as an influx of new businesses. Of course it goes without saying that one of the central aims of Friars Walk is to attract more people to Newport.
So if there are going to be more people living, working and doing business in Newport, the issue now looming over the horizon is; how are all these people going to get around the city?
The Southern Distributor Road certainly helped to address some of the congestion that had worsened during the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, but it's no secret that Newport faces continuing challenges, particularly on the M4. The city centre is a pretty difficult place to get around as it is, and the layout of the streets and roads mean there's not a lot that can be done to the major infrastructure to address this. We are pretty much stuck with what we have. Yes, we could perhaps look to painfully and expensively develop roads and bypasses on the outskirts, but that's a 'sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nut' way of thinking that will do little to affect the traffic problems in the heart of Newport when that heart is growing.
Even on the outskirts there are concerns about the future. Take the aforementioned development at the old Alcan site in Rogerstone. 700 houses presumably means at least 700 people looking to commute to and from the estate. Forge Lane isn't a bundle of laughs as it is. Stick another couple of hundred cars into the equation and you can already see the letters to the Argus writing themselves.
So a sustainable transport plan - one that allows for continued and unforeseen expansion - should already be at the centre of Newport's 'on the up' vision. If it's not, the question needs to be asked 'why is it not?' They can't surely be ploughing ahead with these new developments with little or no care for how increasing numbers of people are going to get around the bright shiny Newport of tomorrow? Or is that a bridge they will try and cross when they get there?
Cycling is a big part of the solution and it needs to be included as an influencer on any and all planning decisions. Whatever developments are being considered there should be a box to progress that is only ticked when cycling has been included in the thinking and addressed. This has worked extremely well for Bristol.
Back in 2008 Bristol was named England's first Cycling City after the government gave the city £11.4m to create dedicated cycle lanes, better facilities and more training for children. The same year Bristol was ranked as Britain's most sustainable city, topping the Future's Sustainable Cities Index 2008. Of course this wasn't entirely down to cycling, and also considered the city's environmental and economic performance, quality of life, future-proofing [take note Newport City Council], how well it addressed climate change, recycling and biodiversity. But as the increasing number of visitors to Bristol know, it's a city that is certainly 'on the up' in many respects and has been improved immeasurably as a result of a concerted effort and joined-up thinking.
As Newport grows people WILL look to cycle more, certainly as a way of commuting. And ironically the growth of the city and the subsequent inevitable traffic problems will be a driver for growth in itself. But without a cycling strategy those people taking to two wheels will find it difficult to integrate. Without a cycling strategy and the infrastructure in place what we will undoubtedly see are growing issues with accidents, animosity between cars drivers and cyclists, and problems with cyclists riding on pavements and through the city centre. Again, the letters to editor continue to form well in advance.
Now, I may have missed it amongst all the noise, but I don't recall much in the way of strong statements about cycling or sustainable transport anywhere in news stories or statements about Newport's development. A glance at the Newport City Council's website does little to fill me with confidence. The dedicated Cycling page serves as little more than an intermediate page that links to the Velodrome. Compare this to the wealth of information on cycling on the Bristol City Council website. As far as the Newport City Council is concerned, cycling appears to be something the rest of the world does, but not us.
So in a week when the local news has been filled with cycling and the visit of the British Cycling National Championships and Sir Bradley Wiggins at the British Time Trial Championships at Celtic Manor, let's keep our fingers crossed that the attending media didn't think to investigate or ask how accommodating Newport is for cyclists. The answer would have embarrassed.
I should make it clear now that I am not a cyclist. When I was a lad I spent my life on my bike and cycle-toured around the country during summer holidays, but until last week I hadn't sat on a pushbike for at least 30 years and only bought a bike last week so I could go out with my lad at weekends. I work from home so have no need to commute.
Friday, 20 June 2014
Newport BID a crucial element of city regeneration
Thursday 19th June saw around 40 business leaders, councillors and others attend the opening of the Newport BID Office. The event included presentations by Martin Tressider of Queensberry who is managing the Friars Walk development, and Julie Vellucci, Head of Regeneration at Newport Council. A planned presentation by Inspector Mike Richards on the impact of the NATO Summit was postponed.
The presentations by Martin Tressider and Julie Vellucci were impressive. Martin's presentation included a CGI flythrough of the Friars Walk development. While I remain cynical that such a development is needed in Newport at this moment in time, I have made clear my belief that if it must happen, Queensberry are the best choice to deliver. But while it all looks very nice in CGI where the sky is always blue, I still fail to see how the me-too retailers and food outlets will transform Newport into a destination that can attract people away from Cardiff, Cwmbran and Bristol, and I worry that Friars Walk will only serve to further suck the life out of Commercial Street.
Julie Vellicci's presentation impressed me more. For the first time I got a sense that there was some strategy behind the council's thinking. This is what has always been missing in Newport. The tradition has been for scatter-gun tactics whereby good money has been thrown at various bad redevelopment schemes with no concept of integration or any 'bigger picture' thinking. 'If you build it, they will come' is a seductive line for a movie about a guy building a baseball field for ghosts, but it doesn't always work in real life.
However, Newport City Council has clearly done some good work in standing back and looking long and hard to analyse just what the centre of Newport is, and what can be done to inject some life and vibrancy into it. They have even managed to divide it up into logical zones that include a retail zone, creative & education zone, entertainment zone, and gateway - and at long last the council is looking at how it can work with landlords to make best use of the stunning buildings we have to create accommodation and get more people living in the city centre.
A lot of physical work has been done to improve the city centre, for example outside Newport Market and at the top of Commercial Street, and a lot more physical work is planned. It's all good positive stuff and it complements the bigger picture ambition for Newport as defined by reNEWPORT that sees Newport's future as a technology hub.
So where does the BID fit into this, and why is it so important?
In case you don't know, BID stands for 'Business Improvement District'. Many towns and cities across the UK have BIDs in place and in the most basic terms; a BID delivers services - street cleaning, security, events, marketing - paid for by businesses within the BID area, that are additional to those delivered by the council.
I have a great interest in a Newport BID as I've done a lot of work helping to promote the Bath Business Improvement District - an impressive BID that has achieved much, including high levels of street cleaning, security, and a full programme of events that attract major footfall, such as getting the likes of Nicholas Cage to switch on the Christmas Lights. So I understand fully what a BID can deliver. However, it could be argued that a BID in an already successful and thriving city such as Bath is more of a nice-to-have than a need-to-have.
For Newport, a BID is an absolutely-must-have.
It's widely agreed that Newport city centre has pretty much hit rock bottom. Both the daytime and night-time economies have declined dramatically and public perception is at an all-time low. The reasons given for why people stay away are also universal and generally centre on 'there's nothing there', 'it's scruffy and dirty', 'I feel intimidated', and 'there's nowhere to park'. While the arrival of Friars Walk may begin to address the first and (to a degree) the last of these common criticisms, the wider scruffiness and poor state of the city around it will certainly impact negatively on the success of Friars Walk. People will either have to walk through a decomposing and scruffy city centre to reach the shiny new development, or park within Friars Walk and not venture out. Again, this will impact on the rest of the city. The ideal scenario would be one where footfall happily passes in and out of Friars Walk.
A BID has the potential to dramatically improve the rest of the city centre and address both the scruffiness and its intimidating nature. These two negatives have done an immense amount to speed the latter stages of decline and especially to deter older people from visiting. So the sooner these problems are addressed the better. My yardstick for success is my mother-in-law. The day she feels inclined to visit Newport over Cwmbran and doesn't complain about the state of the streets or the beggers and winos that scare her, I'll know that Newport is, finally, on the rise.
Businesses in Newport have been surveyed as part of a Scoping Study for the BID (certainly worth downloading and reading) and their opinions echo those of the public at large. The perception of crime is the third highest concern for businesses (after vacant premises and parking) and tackling anti-social behaviour their second highest priority (after parking).
There is a process before Newport can have a BID (you can read all about it at http://newportbid.com/about/) and it involves a vote from businesses in the proposed BID area. But such is the pressing need for a BID that any business voting against it will be voting against their own survival. In my opinion, it's that important.
In fact, I would go as far as to say a BID would do more for Newport than the Friars Walk development. It would help support local businesses and increase footfall to the businesses that have hung in there, and which stand to have what little footfall there is tempted away to the multinationals in Friars Walk.
I've been impressed by the team working hard to set up a Newport BID. They have enthusiasm, drive and commitment that hopefully will help to convince businesses that it's the right thing to do. It's certainly in the interests of both Queensberry and Newport City Council that a bid is set up.
The presentations by Martin Tressider and Julie Vellucci were impressive. Martin's presentation included a CGI flythrough of the Friars Walk development. While I remain cynical that such a development is needed in Newport at this moment in time, I have made clear my belief that if it must happen, Queensberry are the best choice to deliver. But while it all looks very nice in CGI where the sky is always blue, I still fail to see how the me-too retailers and food outlets will transform Newport into a destination that can attract people away from Cardiff, Cwmbran and Bristol, and I worry that Friars Walk will only serve to further suck the life out of Commercial Street.
Julie Vellicci's presentation impressed me more. For the first time I got a sense that there was some strategy behind the council's thinking. This is what has always been missing in Newport. The tradition has been for scatter-gun tactics whereby good money has been thrown at various bad redevelopment schemes with no concept of integration or any 'bigger picture' thinking. 'If you build it, they will come' is a seductive line for a movie about a guy building a baseball field for ghosts, but it doesn't always work in real life.
However, Newport City Council has clearly done some good work in standing back and looking long and hard to analyse just what the centre of Newport is, and what can be done to inject some life and vibrancy into it. They have even managed to divide it up into logical zones that include a retail zone, creative & education zone, entertainment zone, and gateway - and at long last the council is looking at how it can work with landlords to make best use of the stunning buildings we have to create accommodation and get more people living in the city centre.
A lot of physical work has been done to improve the city centre, for example outside Newport Market and at the top of Commercial Street, and a lot more physical work is planned. It's all good positive stuff and it complements the bigger picture ambition for Newport as defined by reNEWPORT that sees Newport's future as a technology hub.
So where does the BID fit into this, and why is it so important?
In case you don't know, BID stands for 'Business Improvement District'. Many towns and cities across the UK have BIDs in place and in the most basic terms; a BID delivers services - street cleaning, security, events, marketing - paid for by businesses within the BID area, that are additional to those delivered by the council.
I have a great interest in a Newport BID as I've done a lot of work helping to promote the Bath Business Improvement District - an impressive BID that has achieved much, including high levels of street cleaning, security, and a full programme of events that attract major footfall, such as getting the likes of Nicholas Cage to switch on the Christmas Lights. So I understand fully what a BID can deliver. However, it could be argued that a BID in an already successful and thriving city such as Bath is more of a nice-to-have than a need-to-have.
For Newport, a BID is an absolutely-must-have.
It's widely agreed that Newport city centre has pretty much hit rock bottom. Both the daytime and night-time economies have declined dramatically and public perception is at an all-time low. The reasons given for why people stay away are also universal and generally centre on 'there's nothing there', 'it's scruffy and dirty', 'I feel intimidated', and 'there's nowhere to park'. While the arrival of Friars Walk may begin to address the first and (to a degree) the last of these common criticisms, the wider scruffiness and poor state of the city around it will certainly impact negatively on the success of Friars Walk. People will either have to walk through a decomposing and scruffy city centre to reach the shiny new development, or park within Friars Walk and not venture out. Again, this will impact on the rest of the city. The ideal scenario would be one where footfall happily passes in and out of Friars Walk.
A BID has the potential to dramatically improve the rest of the city centre and address both the scruffiness and its intimidating nature. These two negatives have done an immense amount to speed the latter stages of decline and especially to deter older people from visiting. So the sooner these problems are addressed the better. My yardstick for success is my mother-in-law. The day she feels inclined to visit Newport over Cwmbran and doesn't complain about the state of the streets or the beggers and winos that scare her, I'll know that Newport is, finally, on the rise.
Businesses in Newport have been surveyed as part of a Scoping Study for the BID (certainly worth downloading and reading) and their opinions echo those of the public at large. The perception of crime is the third highest concern for businesses (after vacant premises and parking) and tackling anti-social behaviour their second highest priority (after parking).
There is a process before Newport can have a BID (you can read all about it at http://newportbid.com/about/) and it involves a vote from businesses in the proposed BID area. But such is the pressing need for a BID that any business voting against it will be voting against their own survival. In my opinion, it's that important.
In fact, I would go as far as to say a BID would do more for Newport than the Friars Walk development. It would help support local businesses and increase footfall to the businesses that have hung in there, and which stand to have what little footfall there is tempted away to the multinationals in Friars Walk.
I've been impressed by the team working hard to set up a Newport BID. They have enthusiasm, drive and commitment that hopefully will help to convince businesses that it's the right thing to do. It's certainly in the interests of both Queensberry and Newport City Council that a bid is set up.
Monday, 16 June 2014
The NATO Summit - A 'great opportunity' for Newport?
When Prime Minister David Cameron announced on October 31st 2013 that the NATO Summit would be held at the Celtic Manor Resort, several people were injured in the stampede as local political figures rushed to gush about what a fantastic opportunity this was for the city.
Like the Ryder Cup, the NATO summit would not only 'put Newport (Wales) on the map', but would present a wonderful opportunity for the city to show off its potential to a world that presumably is desperately searching for another small port city. And with thousands of journalists and delegates following the world leaders, this would also supposedly be a boom time for local businesses.
If only life were that easy.
So here we are, eight months later and within the final 100 day countdown to the Summit. How are we shaping up to take advantage of this wonderful and much hailed 'opportunity'? Pretty poorly it would seem. The rose tinted glasses have been removed and the reality of the event is starting to sink in. This isn't going to be an easy event. The NATO Summit is a logistical challenge of immense proportions that will not only cause significant inconvenience, but will come with a significant bill.
The first initial bill for the 2012 Summit in Chicago put the cost of just policing and fire services at $16m. Add to this the largely unmeasured costs associated with cleaning up after the army of protesters and the disruption to business. In May, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Armitt warned the security operation will be a bigger challenge than the London 2012 Olympics. You remember the fuss about security for the Olympics? Anti-aircraft missiles on tower blocks and navy ships harboured in the Thames?
Today the South Wales Argus reports that 'more than 50 schools across Newport could close when the Nato summit begins at the Celtic Manor Resort', the issue being the amount of travel disruption caused by the Summit. Presumably this will mean several thousand working parents needing to use up holiday entitlement so they can stay at home with their children - if they can get it.
Other disruption is becoming apparent, including a new announcement from Newport County AFC warning that fixtures will be moved and the club office, shop and ticket office likely affected as well.
We've already started to hear rumours about police snipers on bridges, random spot checks of vehicles, closed roads and other disruption, and of course the anti-Summit protesters have been very open about their intentions.
So we're getting plenty in about the cost, inconvenience and disruption, but still not one solid idea about how the 'opportunity' will be taken advantage of. Indeed, this has emerged as a point of argument, with local politicians both in Newport and Cardiff bickering and playing the blame game about how no game plan or strategy has emerged. It would seem to our political class, that identifying the Summit as 'an opportunity' is enough in itself.
Ironically, it's the Celtic Manor Resort that has been the most outspoken about this. During May, Celtic Manor bosses voiced their concerns about how 'NATO benefits could be missed.' They were of course spot on, but it's easy to suspect that the statement was ultimately about reputational self-preservation. The Celtic Manor Resort was (rightly or wrongly) criticised following the Ryder Cup when that particular 'opportunity' failed to deliver any obvious benefits to Newport. By voicing their concerns in advance of NATO, they can legitimately holds their hands up after the event and say 'Not our fault. You were warned.'
First Minister Carwyn Jones immediately responded to the Celtic Manor by saying 'Welsh and UK ministers are constantly discussing events they want to hold around the Nato summit in Newport.' With less than 100 days, I don't think we can expect too much from these discussions.
And what about Newport Council? Remember, it was our councillors who were first to rush en masse to announce what a great opportunity NATO presented. Surely they haven't been sitting on their hands?
Unfortunately, it would appear they have (quelle surprise). Council Leader Bob Bright was quoted in The South Wales Argus as late as 9th June as saying, “Officers have been tasked with researching the economic benefits/promotional opportunities of other Nato summits held in major cities elsewhere and with producing an associated PR and marketing strategy that will guide the authority’s promotional activities between now and the summit in September." With less than three months to go, this is far too late in the day to be doing research. Actual plans should already be well developed. Remember, the basic premise has always been about promoting Newport TO THE WORLD. You can't do that in the last week or even the last month before the Summit. It should be happening NOW! In the second great irony, it has been the protesters who have pounced quickest to spread the news of the NATO Summit in Newport.
The third great irony is; that it will be the protesters themselves that offer the greatest opportunity, certainly for local businesses. The world leaders and their assembled entourage won't be spending their hard earned pennies in shops, pubs and restaurants, and most of the attendant media cloud will no doubt camp in Cardiff. The only people guaranteed to descend on Newport itself will be the protesters. They won't be allowed anywhere near the Celtic Manor, so Newport city centre will be where they do their thing, and they will all need to be fed, watered and accommodated. There have already been protest events in the city, so they've started to drip money into the local economy. Of course any money brought in needs to be offset against the cost of policing the protesters, but still, some local business will certainly benefit.
So what is this blog really about? Quite simply, it's about the speed and tedious predictability with which local politicians rush to issue knee-jerk sound bytes without thinking first or without doing basic research to back up their statements. And it's not just politicians. Several local businesses also rushed to gush about how wonderful the NATO Summit would be for Newport. It remains to be seen what actually happens between now and the day NATO rolls out of Newport, but it's my bet that the Summit will deliver little in the way of actual benefit and instead carries a sizable financial and social cost for the city.
Once it's all over and the dust has settled, it will be worth revisiting some of the people who rushed to gush about 'opportunity' and ask where they think they got it wrong. If the Summit goes well and delivers great benefit for Newport, I will, as a cynic from the start, hold my hands up and say I got it wrong. But at least I will have based my prediction on basic research of previous events. Can the politicians say the same?
Like the Ryder Cup, the NATO summit would not only 'put Newport (Wales) on the map', but would present a wonderful opportunity for the city to show off its potential to a world that presumably is desperately searching for another small port city. And with thousands of journalists and delegates following the world leaders, this would also supposedly be a boom time for local businesses.
If only life were that easy.
So here we are, eight months later and within the final 100 day countdown to the Summit. How are we shaping up to take advantage of this wonderful and much hailed 'opportunity'? Pretty poorly it would seem. The rose tinted glasses have been removed and the reality of the event is starting to sink in. This isn't going to be an easy event. The NATO Summit is a logistical challenge of immense proportions that will not only cause significant inconvenience, but will come with a significant bill.
The first initial bill for the 2012 Summit in Chicago put the cost of just policing and fire services at $16m. Add to this the largely unmeasured costs associated with cleaning up after the army of protesters and the disruption to business. In May, Assistant Chief Constable Chris Armitt warned the security operation will be a bigger challenge than the London 2012 Olympics. You remember the fuss about security for the Olympics? Anti-aircraft missiles on tower blocks and navy ships harboured in the Thames?
Today the South Wales Argus reports that 'more than 50 schools across Newport could close when the Nato summit begins at the Celtic Manor Resort', the issue being the amount of travel disruption caused by the Summit. Presumably this will mean several thousand working parents needing to use up holiday entitlement so they can stay at home with their children - if they can get it.
Other disruption is becoming apparent, including a new announcement from Newport County AFC warning that fixtures will be moved and the club office, shop and ticket office likely affected as well.
We've already started to hear rumours about police snipers on bridges, random spot checks of vehicles, closed roads and other disruption, and of course the anti-Summit protesters have been very open about their intentions.
So we're getting plenty in about the cost, inconvenience and disruption, but still not one solid idea about how the 'opportunity' will be taken advantage of. Indeed, this has emerged as a point of argument, with local politicians both in Newport and Cardiff bickering and playing the blame game about how no game plan or strategy has emerged. It would seem to our political class, that identifying the Summit as 'an opportunity' is enough in itself.
Ironically, it's the Celtic Manor Resort that has been the most outspoken about this. During May, Celtic Manor bosses voiced their concerns about how 'NATO benefits could be missed.' They were of course spot on, but it's easy to suspect that the statement was ultimately about reputational self-preservation. The Celtic Manor Resort was (rightly or wrongly) criticised following the Ryder Cup when that particular 'opportunity' failed to deliver any obvious benefits to Newport. By voicing their concerns in advance of NATO, they can legitimately holds their hands up after the event and say 'Not our fault. You were warned.'
First Minister Carwyn Jones immediately responded to the Celtic Manor by saying 'Welsh and UK ministers are constantly discussing events they want to hold around the Nato summit in Newport.' With less than 100 days, I don't think we can expect too much from these discussions.
And what about Newport Council? Remember, it was our councillors who were first to rush en masse to announce what a great opportunity NATO presented. Surely they haven't been sitting on their hands?
Unfortunately, it would appear they have (quelle surprise). Council Leader Bob Bright was quoted in The South Wales Argus as late as 9th June as saying, “Officers have been tasked with researching the economic benefits/promotional opportunities of other Nato summits held in major cities elsewhere and with producing an associated PR and marketing strategy that will guide the authority’s promotional activities between now and the summit in September." With less than three months to go, this is far too late in the day to be doing research. Actual plans should already be well developed. Remember, the basic premise has always been about promoting Newport TO THE WORLD. You can't do that in the last week or even the last month before the Summit. It should be happening NOW! In the second great irony, it has been the protesters who have pounced quickest to spread the news of the NATO Summit in Newport.
The third great irony is; that it will be the protesters themselves that offer the greatest opportunity, certainly for local businesses. The world leaders and their assembled entourage won't be spending their hard earned pennies in shops, pubs and restaurants, and most of the attendant media cloud will no doubt camp in Cardiff. The only people guaranteed to descend on Newport itself will be the protesters. They won't be allowed anywhere near the Celtic Manor, so Newport city centre will be where they do their thing, and they will all need to be fed, watered and accommodated. There have already been protest events in the city, so they've started to drip money into the local economy. Of course any money brought in needs to be offset against the cost of policing the protesters, but still, some local business will certainly benefit.
So what is this blog really about? Quite simply, it's about the speed and tedious predictability with which local politicians rush to issue knee-jerk sound bytes without thinking first or without doing basic research to back up their statements. And it's not just politicians. Several local businesses also rushed to gush about how wonderful the NATO Summit would be for Newport. It remains to be seen what actually happens between now and the day NATO rolls out of Newport, but it's my bet that the Summit will deliver little in the way of actual benefit and instead carries a sizable financial and social cost for the city.
Once it's all over and the dust has settled, it will be worth revisiting some of the people who rushed to gush about 'opportunity' and ask where they think they got it wrong. If the Summit goes well and delivers great benefit for Newport, I will, as a cynic from the start, hold my hands up and say I got it wrong. But at least I will have based my prediction on basic research of previous events. Can the politicians say the same?
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