Glan Llyn is the name of a mixed-use community development, to the south-east of Newport, South Wales, at the western end of the former

Llanwern steelworks Llanwern steelworks is located in Llanwern, east of the City of Newport, South Wales. History Built for Richard Thomas & Baldwins Ltd, the works was originally referred to locally as "The RTB", before being called Spencer Works and later Ll ...

, on the A4810 road at the edge of the Caldicot Levels.

Background

The steel production section of Llanwern steel works closed in 2001, leading to the loss of 1,300 jobs. A finishing plant still remains in operation today. After the closure of steel production,

Corus Group Corus may refer to: Places *Çörüş, Gazipaşa, a village in Antalya Province, Turkey Facilities and structures * Corus Quay, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; an office tower Fictional locations * Corus, a fictional world that is the setting for the ...

sought a redevelopment partner; they chose St. Modwen Properties, who in 2004 bought a package of land. The redevelopment process started with the clearing of the former steel works buildings, and making the site environmentally safe. This allowed the use of the site for a

Park & Ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system (rap ...

facility for the 2010 Ryder Cup event at the

Celtic Manor Resort Celtic Manor Resort is a golf, spa and leisure hotel and resort in the city of Newport, South East Wales. Owned by Sir Terry Matthews, the resort is located on the south-facing side of Christchurch Hill in eastern Newport, near Junction 24 ...

. Eventually up to 400,000 tonnes of concrete from the former steel works will be used in the redevelopment of the site.

Redevelopment

St Modwen set out a £1 bn mixed-use redevelopment plan for the site, which it was envisaged would take 20 years to complete, in around 2026–28. The new community plan included the construction of 4,000 homes, with a supporting infrastructure that includes schools, a police station, pub/restaurant, supermarket, community centre as well as a number of open spaces including two new lakes and a water theme park, new access roads, a GPs' surgery plus health and leisure facilities. (The name ''Glan LLyn'' means "lake shore".) The first phase was approved in April 2010 by

Newport City Council Newport City Council () is the governing body for Newport, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It consists of 51 councillors, who represent the city's 20 wards. The council is currently, and has historically been, held by the Labour Party. ...

; this is to create 1,330 homes, the district centre, a primary school and the west lake. After gaining specific planning permission in April 2011,

Persimmon plc Persimmon plc is a British housebuilding company, headquartered in York, England. The company is named after a horse which won the 1896 Derby and St. Leger for the Prince of Wales (the future Edward VII). It is listed on the London Stock Ex ...

started work on the construction of the first 307 homes in September 2011. The

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/Charles Church developments were completed in 2016. St Modwen is currently building houses around the Pools and Lakeside Parks areas of the development, and

Bellway Homes Bellway plc is a residential property developer and housebuilder based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The company was founded in 1946 by ...

commenced work on building further houses adjacent to the St Modwen site at Monk's Meadow in autumn 2016. There are plans for a railway station at the northern end of the development. Due to its proximity to the M4 and the

Second Severn Crossing or cy, Pont Tywysog Cymru, label=none, italic=unset , carries = M4 motorway (6 lanes) , crosses = River Severn , locale = South West England / South East Wales , maint = National Highways , architect ...

, and relatively low property prices (compared to South West England) it has proved to be very popular with commuters working in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. Its popularity has risen in recent years following the abolition of the tolls on both motorway bridges at the end of 2018.

"In the Nick of Time"

Glan Llyn is home to the mechanical clock known as "In the Nick of Time" created by sculptor Andy Plant. The clock was commissioned and paid for by Newport Council at a cost of £100,000, as part of Ebbw Vale Garden Festival. On the hour, the structure would open to reveal the hidden characters inside. After the festival event the clock was relocated to John Frost Square, Newport, where it remained until the redevelopment of the area into Friars Walk. After almost seven years in storage it was finally relocated to the westernmost roundabout on Queen's Way. The clock is a popular landmark in the area.

Parks and Recreation

The development currently has two main parks: Pools Park (including the Western Pools) and Lakeside Park (formerly known as Western Park), both of which include man-made lakes, and are home to an extensive range of wildfowl. Pools Park was originally home to the Spencer Steel Works Angling Club, and is located just inside the former main entrance to the steel works. The parks are popular with residents, as well as visitors to the nearby Newport Retail Park. Central Park, a smaller park for younger children, is located in the centre of the development at Brinell Square. The development is close to a number of popular tourist attractions, including the RSPB reserve at the Newport Wetlands and the world-famous

Newport Transporter Bridge The Newport Transporter Bridge ( cy, Pont Gludo Casnewydd) is a transporter bridge that crosses the River Usk in Newport, South East Wales. The bridge is the lowest crossing on the River Usk. It is a Grade I listed structure. It is one of ...

Politics and Representation

Glan Llyn is part of the

Llanwern Llanwern is a community in the eastern part of the City of Newport, South East Wales. Llanwern is bounded by the M4 and Langstone to the north, Ringland, Lliswerry and the River Usk to the west, the River Severn to the south and the city bo ...

electoral ward, which itself is part of the Newport East UK parliamentary constituency.

Schools

Glan Llyn is situated within the catchment area for Lliswerry High School. Glan Llyn West primary school is situated at the western end of the site.

References

External links

Glan Llyn development websiteCeltic Business Parkwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanwern and surrounding areaBBC Wales video report on master plan approval, April 2010
{{City of Newport Districts of Newport, Wales