Newport Harbour

Newport Harbour is changing!

2017 marks the start of a new era for our fantastic town centre harbour. The Isle of Wight Council has identified this site as a flagship development opportunity and is currently engaging with key stakeholders to help shape the future of this unique area!

To find out how you can share your thought’s and views, please see our What’s On guide?

Key objectives for the site:

  • Take advantage of and augment the unique identity of the harbour
  • Generate income for reinvestment in harbour infrastructure
  • Create a mix of leisure, residential and employment uses on the site
  • Encourage the use of green transport such as walking and cycling
  • Set a high design standard
  • Develop a location destination for the county town
  • Generate long-term income for the council.

Principles for engagement:

  • Engage early and make it meaningful
  • Develop a vision statement for the area working with local residents, users, businesses and other interested stakeholders
  • Embrace a range of engagement methods – both formal and informal
  • Put high quality design at the heart of discussions
  • Develop a masterplan that will shape the forthcoming Island Plan
  • Engage with a range of investors and developers to find the right partners.

Overview of concept design:

During 2017, Ash Sakula architects were brought in to develop an early stage concept design and viable development proposition. This concluded in a viable opportunity being identified that will form the basis of the stakeholder engagement. We know roughly what quantum of development and what type will make an attractive development proposition for investment, but we want to work with local communities to shape where it goes and what it looks like. Watch the fly-through video to get a sense of where future development might be located.

Harbour development guiding principles:

Response to existing context

  • Retain views of the green spaces of the cemetery and Seaclose Park as an important part of the landscape setting
  • Remove parking from sensitive town centre sites in Sea Street
  • Retain views of Newport Minster from as many parts of the harbour as possible
  • Minimise the impact of the Medina Way flyover
  • Reuse existing buildings of merit wherever possible
  • Safeguard and ensure the continued use of the harbour as a harbour, through repairs to the quay walls, additional facilities and complementary ancillary uses.

Planning

  • Create a mixed use development
  • Create a safe and legible public realm to encourage walking and cycling
  • Improve connections around the harbour
  • Consider a new bridge crossing allowing for circular routes
  • Ensure there is no net loss of allotments.

Urban design

  • Respond to the local character of Newport
  • Create positive relationships between the site and surrounding green spaces and estuary views
  • Respond to the existing urban forms
  • Create well defined areas of private, semi-private and public open spaces
  • Create street level activity, active frontages and eyes on the street
  • Remove all but essential vehicular movement from the harbour
  • Develop a comprehensive programme of ‘meanwhile uses’ (such as the Street Food Market) to build interest and recognition in the harbour before and during the regeneration process.