£2 million to help transform the Chartist Tower into a high quality hotel development

The tallest building in Newport – the Chartist Tower – has received an injection of Welsh Government funding as work continues to transform it into a 4 star hotel.The £2 million package is a mix of grant and loan funding from Visit Wales and the Welsh Government’s Targeted Regeneration Investment programme, which will provide £100 million of capital support across Wales over 3 years for regeneration projects. Newport City Council has worked in close collaboration with Garrison Barclay Estates (GBE), who has taken a long lease on the Chartist Tower and work is underway to transform the building into a 4 star Mercure-branded hotel with 154 beds, gym, sauna, breakfast room and rooftop restaurant with city-wide views.The refurbishment of the building is a pivotal development in the next phase of sustainable investment and regeneration for Newport, and is ideally placed to capitalise on business tourism associated with the opening of the new international convention centre ICC Wales. The project will create 45.5 new jobs and assist a further 15 with a view to being open during summer 2019. The tower development will also include a lower retail floor, leisure and office space, as well as a rooftop restaurant on the 15th floor.