Opening of new leisure centre delayed as free parking plans emerge

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter

The opening of a new multi-million pound leisure centre has been delayed by five weeks, with councillors also considering plans to offer visitors two hours of free parking when it finally opens.

Newport city centre’s new leisure centre, Splash, is now expected to open in February 2027, five weeks after its original stated opening date.

Work on the site is “at an advanced stage” ahead of an expected handover to Newport Live – a charitable trust operated on behalf of the city council to provide local leisure services.

Council cabinet members are due to sign off on the Newport Live lease at a meeting next week, and will also consider proposals to offer free parking to the leisure centre’s users.

“While any delay is disappointing, they are not unexpected in major, complex projects,” said Cllr Mark Spencer, cabinet member for sport on the Labour-led council.

The hold up is reportedly due to “ground conditions and commissioning issues”.

A brief handover period will follow the end of the construction work, and Cllr Spencer said the local authority wanted to “minimise” the time needed for Newport Live to make any “final touches”.

“We remain hopeful that the centre will open to the public in February,” he said. “I’m sure people will agree it has been worth the wait when they are able to enjoy all its facilities – including the fun leisure pool, with its play equipment and slides for children – as well as a lazy river, the swimming pool, the gym and cafe.”

A cabinet report shows the council could introduce a system of validated parking for Splash’s users, offering the first two hours’ parking for free.

If approved, the scheme would only apply to the Kingsway car park, on the opposite side of Usk Way, and Newport Live staff would validate customer parking to ensure the offer is being used correctly.

Anyone visiting the centre for longer would have to pay for the additional time.

At a cost to the council of around £60,000 a year, the new policy follows advice from Newport Live that “the operating model for the new centre does not work without subsidised parking being provided for members and regular users”.

Splash includes disabled parking bays and a drop-off point for visitors, but the council said free parking was not considered previously because other car parks are nearby, and to promote the use of public transport.

Cabinet members will discuss the incentive, alongside a lease deal with Newport Live, at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday November 11.

Cllr Matthew Evans, who leads the Conservative group in opposition, said the free parking plan was “very welcome” after hearing concerns about “insufficient” parking on site.