Fly Tipping Blights Newport Site: Sainsbury’s Dream Now Rubbish Dump

Okay, so there’s this old supermarket site in Newport. It’s on Wyndham Street, once a Sainsbury’s. Now, it’s owned by a company called Fear Group. For like ten years, people keep dumping trash there. We’re talking needles, furniture, the works. It totally looks awful.

You can see the mess easily from the B4591 road. Local council members are not happy about it at all. It is a big embarrassment for the city. Police taped it off this week as a crime scene again. Fear Group said they spent money cleaning before. However, they haven’t commented recently.

People who live nearby are really fed up. Back in 2016, Fear wanted to sell it after arson damage. They ditched plans for apartments and a hotel. That plan was around £60 million. Now, a local councillor calls the situation a “bane.” It is an unacceptable problem within the community.

The council is working with Fear Group to deal with the mess. The councillor said the council can’t do much as it is private property. This road is a main route into Newport. Everyone sees the trash as they come and go! It’s full of rubbish and overgrown.

People have organized cleanups before, but it shouldn’t rely on volunteers. Plans exist to build houses there. Nothing has happened yet, though. He hopes they build homes there soon. Residents on Evans Street see it all the time.

In 2020, Fear Group said they wanted development still. However, they have no current plans because of the pandemic. They said they already spent lots on waste removal. Fencing got stolen when they tried it. Walls block vehicle access. It’s private land, so dumping is illegal.

A Green Party councillor said locals are angry and wants the council to take action. She said people shouldn’t have to live near this. She wants housing plans to move forward. Council officers should care, because it looks bad. Most residents don’t dump trash there. Volunteers found nappies and toilets during cleanups.

The site is planned for housing, but plans stopped in 2016. The council investigates recent fly-tipping and works with Fear to remove the trash. They ask people to report illegal dumping. The council fines people caught dumping. They would like to see the site redeveloped.