Pill Community Masterplan

The Challenge

Our brief was to prepare a community-led masterplan for the Pill area, located to the south of Newport city centre. Pill is the former industrial heartlands of Newport, located between the city centre and Newport docks. It is an incredibly diverse place with over 30 languages spoken and a very young population.

The key challenges of the masterplan was to prepare a regeneration and placemaking vision that reflected the collective ambitions of the community, and its desire to build on 'what is strong and not wrong', and break a cycle of agencies doing to Pill to 'fix it'.  

Our Role

We led the preparation of the masterplan, overseeing engagement alongside our engagement partners Mela Cymru.  The engagement was undertaken over a 15-month period to help understand the key issues that the local community wants to prioritise and to test and evolve the masterplan as it was prepared.  A key aspect of our engagement approach was to go out to where the community meets, this involved visiting local community groups, attending sports places, meeting in local cafes and businesses and attending local events like the Pill Carnival.  We also managed all client briefings and presentations.  To support the masterplan we were also responsible for preparing a feasibility plan that identified priority projects from the masterplan, and prepared initial concept designs with cost plans and viability appraisals.  

The Outcome

A community led masterplan was produced that set a clear vision for Pill supported by the community. Through the engagement greater community 'buy in and confidence' was created based on the understanding that the masterplan would deliver on the priorities important to the people of Pill.   The masterplan was communicated through a series of core community ambitions, which included foundation ambitions relating to community safety and neighbourhood cleanliness to instil solid foundations for Pill,  and also forward looking ambitions relating to creating more green spaces and streets, providing more facilities for young people, investing in community infrastructure and fostering a business environment.  To support these ambitions, a high level masterplan was prepared to show where projects could be delivered.  A key part of this was the redevelopment of Commercial Road, the historic 'heart' of Pill.  The feasibility plan supported the masterplan providing a direction on how projects particularly important to the community could be delivered.  The masterplan and the feasibility plan have since been progressed to secure funding.  The critical outcome is that through the engagement more shared ownership of the Since the completion of the masterplan the