Petition against Newport roundabout changes to be sent to Welsh Government

Nicholas Thomas – Local democracy reporter

A petition against changes to a busy roundabout in Newport will be passed to the Welsh Government after collecting more than 1,800 signatures.

The Welsh Government – via Transport for Wales – is leading the proposed project to reconfigure the existing Old Green Roundabout into a fully traffic light-controlled four-way junction.

Supporters believe the changes will improve connections to the city’s bus and railway stations and make it easier to walk, cycle or use public transport.

But opponents such as petition organiser Michael Enea argue turning the roundabout back into a junction will cause traffic problems and negatively impact city centre traders.

The Old Green redevelopment was proposed as part of the Burns Commission’s final recommendations for improving the travel network in and around the city, after then-first minister Mark Drakeford cancelled the M4 relief road project in 2019.

Newport City Council has supported the Burns recommendations but has tended to avoid offering any strong opinions on the Old Green proposals, on which the local authority does not have a direct say.

Mr Enea’s online petition was presented to a council scrutiny committee in March, and this week cabinet members agreed to pass it onto the Welsh Government for consideration.

Cllr Emma Stowell-Corten, the cabinet member for communications, stressed the cabinet decision was based on “a procedural report that does not seek to approve or reject any transport proposals”.

“The people who signed that petition have some strong feelings, and are concerned, and it’s quite right it goes to the Welsh Government and at least gets some of the answers around some of the technical questions raised,” added the council’s leader, Cllr Dimitri Batrouni.

The Burns recommendations were made in 2020 and Transport for Wales later published the specific proposals for Old Green Roundabout.

Other plans for the city include a series of new railway stations, and more integrated bus and train services.

The new Plaid Cymru Welsh Government has so far endorsed the commission’s recommendations, with one minister calling new stations a “key part of the solution” to Newport’s traffic problems.

The M4 relief road project was a hot topic during the Senedd election campaign period, with some parties openly supporting its revival.

Following Plaid’s election win, Wales’ new deputy minister for transport said the government was taking one option “off the table” – the so-called Black Route of new motorway scrapped by Mr Drakeford seven years earlier.

The government is planning to look at alternative measures, including potential junction closures in Newport, which senior figures on the city council have warned could worsen local traffic.