Action - Association

The public realm needs to be vastly improved and a bit of pride given back to the historic market town

There’s no centre to the community

Would like to see consideration for biodiversity - for wildlife, in amenity planting palettes, more imaginative maintenance regimes that allow and encourage planting and wildlife rather than amenity grass etc.

We should be looking at Newport as the most cosmopolitan place on the Island, instead it is dated and not really what Island residents and tourists deserve as the Island's hub.

Local Civic Partnerships (Care and Maintenance) create a sense of visible participation and positive activity through collaborative public projects with local organizations. For example, the Isle of Wight College horticulture unit has expertise in plant propagation and care and has its own nursery of indoor plants and outdoor shrubs and trees. These skills, resources and students might co-design, with the parish council, widespread temporary interventions: the Harbour bridge pop-up garden, turning empty shops into displays or creating ‘parklets’ using on-street parking bays. The Medina College Student Voice team were clear that they would take on real citizenship projects in the town. The Probation Service is based in Newport and offers a long-term working relationship with Shaping Newport.

Combining the CPS with other groups can also bring benefits (social, employment, confidence, health) to participants. By creating regular, reliable and visible care for the town, positivity around new projects will grow.