Construction work is now well underway to build the long-awaited retail park at St George’s Way in Newport – almost 7 years after plans were first submitted.
Heavy machinery has moved onto the site of the former Newport IW FC football ground, which was demolished in late 2024 to make way for the new development.
Piling work is now taking place as contractors press ahead with building what will become the Isle of Wight’s newest out-of-town shopping destination.
Work is expected to continue throughout the first half of 2026, with multiple retail units and drive-thru facilities included in the final build. Although tenants have not yet been officially confirmed, national brands are anticipated to feature at the site, including Aldi, McDonald’s and Costa Coffee.
The site has been subject to years of delay and uncertainty, with the initial planning application lodged way back in 2018. After being given the green light in January 2019, the scheme faced a number of challenges, including a legal appeal by supermarket giant ASDA, which was ultimately dismissed by the High Court.
Further revisions to the plans were submitted in July 2019, including proposals for a larger food store and potential hotel, but by 2021, a scaled-down version of the retail park was being pursued, reducing the number of units but still retaining a second drive-thru.
Planning permission means that Newport IW FC must move into their new home at Whippingham before the retail park can start trading. It was way back in 2017 that Whippingham was first unveiled as the new home of County Town football.
Work continues at the Racecourse site and it looks likely that Newport will be able to play at their new home ground in time for the 2026/27 season.
Bring it on Aldi, about time?
Aldi, Mc D’s, and Costa…all of which we already have. What happened to Wickes? Or how about a decent proper department store like John Lewis, or a furniture store, or an outlet store?
Pretty soon the choices will be Amazon and food; buy cheap tat from China while waiting for the inevitable heart attack from over-consumption of ultra-processed rubbish food.
And you though we ‘patriots’ took back control, eh?
Yep
We live in a world were they feed us to get ill then give us medicine to make us even more ill.
Everything thing they produce is to keep us addicted. If we as a human done this we would be labelled insane.
So true, the FDA and the WHO make sure of that.
Don’t take the medicine. We’ll then live ’til we die, but at least we’ll be healthy until then.
So true.Every food manufacturer is pumping our food full of toxic poisonous cancer causing shite, the government do nothing to stop them because they are hoping we will all die of some nasty disease before we get the chance to claim our pensions, and just to make doubly sure, they keep moving the goal posts back further and further so we all croak before we even get the chance.
Spot on.
I agree. Why would we want more of the same shops we already have?
There is no Aldi in Newport!
Another overpriced supermarket they won’t be getting my hard earned money.
Agreed – we don’t use any of those, just think of the petrol we’ll be saving!
More rubbish shops, we could do with some quality outlets rather than fast food for the obese.
Another nail in the coffin of Newport town centre shops
More cheap food and UNHEALTHY drive Thru eateries.
No wonder the country is full of people claiming benefits.
I suppose Labour are pleased to buy their votes by giving away
grafters hard earned cash.
Why would you go there?
It will become a haven for drug dealers.
Oh dear same old shit mc crap costa packet more shite places to get fat and lazy and shit to get to from cowes or most places really..
Because we 100% needed ANOTHER 3 shops that we already have on the island. Could we not have put a Nando’s or primark there? OR literally anything we DONT HAVE already!!!???
Only the big companies thrive these days. Its easy money, money that makes councillors drool. How about something we haven’t got?…yeah thought so.
Just a thought, once Mc’d and Costa open these new places will they shut down the existing ones in Newport town centre?
Which will leave 2 more empty premises in town.
At least we are not drowning in negativity or conspiracy theories.