Local Conservative campaigner Michael Enea has taken Newport City Council to task over the neglect of one of Newport’s historic landmarks, the murals under the Old Green roundabout in the city centre.
Michael has been highlighting the poor condition of the murals since earlier in the year, featuring them on his regular blogpost “The Pointy Finger”, and as well as having been interviewed by the South Wales Argus has recently managed to attract the interest from an ITV news crew.
The murals were created and installed in 1975 by Ken Budd and depict the heritage of Newport’s economic past with scenes of local businesses that were at the heart of Newport’s bustling retail trade such as a bakers, florist, butchers as well as the Newport railway. Ken was also responsible for creating the Chartist Riot mural that adorned the entrance to the original John Frost Square that was sadly demolished in 2013 during the development of the Friars Walk Shopping Centre.
The site of the murals currently forms part of the proposed redevelopment of the road system around the Old Green roundabout, where Newport City Council want to create a new transport layout to improve active travel within the city. This will take another 3-5 years however, if the plans go ahead, and the murals have already been falling into disrepair for quite some time. Metal fencing has been installed to close off the walls to protect passers-by, as large chunks of the murals have fallen off into the street. “These murals are falling off the walls and there is no attempt by the council to save them”, says Mike, “and with the plans for the redevelopment of the area still some way off something needs to be done now to save Newport’s heritage”.
Another local conservative campaigner Charles Ferris agrees with Mike about the need to save the mosaics: “The murals illustrate many of the local businesses that helped to build the city, and we have a duty to remember them”.
As a group the Conservatives will continue to campaign both from inside and outside the council chambers to highlight the need for Newport City Council to protect it’s heritage and ensure that future generations can not only enjoy the vibrant and colourful scenes but also remember the foundations on which the city itself was built.
