Though Newent is recognised as a very attractive market town, no one could call our central car park pretty, and unfortunately this is the first thing that most visitors see when arriving in town. 

Over the past year, a group of organisations including:

• Newent Town Council

• Stagecoach

• Buses4Us

• Gloucestershire County Council

• Forest of Dean District Council

• Newent Cycle Group

have been working together on a plan to improve this space and improve facilities in town for people arriving and leaving by car, bus, bike or on foot.

Buses4Us are leading this consultation on behalf of the group. 

Have Your Say

 We now have some proposals to share, and would value your feedback before they are finalised any any work starts. Please read on for details of what is planned and let us have your comments. 

 What’s Happening? 

Bus Routes - all bus routes to the town will terminate and turn in the square, by the public toilets. This means that the 32 Gloucester bus will be able to serve residents to the South East of the centre (Gloucester Street, Onslow Rd) on both journeys to and from the centre. This is important because currently, buses from Gloucester leave Newent via Gloucester Street, but come into Newent via the bypass. So anyone wishing to catch a bus into the town centre from the Onslow Rd area would have to ride the bus all the way to Gloucester and back to get here. 

Bus Stops - the change to bus routes will mean the bus stop outside the little Co-op can be removed and in time replaced with planters - creating more space on the High Street. The bus shelter outside the library will stay as a pedestrian shelter, with cycle hoops to the side and the bus bay will be re-purposed as much needed coach parking. 

Real Time Passenger Information - live passenger information will be provided on a screen near the public toilets - so passengers can easily see exactly when the next bus is coming. 

Additional seating and shelter - additional seating and an additional bus shelter will be provided by the central toilets. Planting - planting and trees will be added to this area to offer shade and visual interest. 

Recycling Reorganisation - all of the materials recycled in the central recycling bins can now be recycled kerbside, with the exception of Tetra Paks, So other than the cardboard bins, central recycling facilities are much less well used than they were. As part of this project we propose to reduce the number of recycling bins in the central car park. Cardboard recycling (which is very well used and emptied daily) and Tetra Pak recycling facilities will be retained in the town centre. The remaining facilities will be fenced to make them less visible. We hope this will reduce costs, make the area more attractive and remove a potential hazard from the path of incoming buses. 

Cycle Storage - a secure, lockable and free (app operated) cycle store will be fitted.

Cycle repair point - facility for cyclists to carry out simple repairs will be added. 

Drinking Water Fountain.  - A facility for filling water bottles will be added. 

Electric Vehicle charging - EV charging points will be connected. 

Feature History Wall - a fun feature wall welcoming visitors to Newent and highlighting the history of our town will be installed. 

St Benedict’s Square - this area is currently officially called Lewell Street Car Park, often referred to as the lake car park, or town centre car park). We are suggesting a name change to Saint Benedict's Square, to celebrate its historical origins as the site of our Benedictine Priory. And to indicate that the space is now more than just a car park. 

Signposting - proper signage from the High Street and the Market Square will highlight the new facilities and the facilities at our lake (currently not signposted). 

Pavement Improvements - Improvements to pavements in and around the square including improvements to drop kerbs and tactile paving. 

Parking - two car parking spaces will be converted to cycle parking, but overall the number of parking spaces available will increase, due to the recycling reorganisation, disabled parking bays will be retained intheir current postion, adjecent to the bus stops and tiolets. 

How will this be Funded? 

Funding is coming from a number of sources:

Government Bus Service Improvement Fund Infrastructure Funding via Gloucestershire County Council

Developer Funding - S106 developer contribution from the Picklenash Grove Development. The funding can only be used on projects which will reduce particle pollution in the local area produced by the development. trees and planting and measures to increase use of active and public transport  are two of a very few types of work which meet the criteria. 

Resident Donation - a bequest, via Buses4Us, given in memory of local resident Gary Vaughn, who passed away last year and always said “something needs doing with that car park”

Gloucestershire County Council Tree Fund - Gloucestershire County Council is working to plant a million new trees throughout the county. - some of them will go here. 

Levelling Up Funding - for EV charging, via forest of Dean District Council 

When will the Work Happen? 

We hope that work can take place in late spring 2026 and we will aim to minimise any disruption to the town centre. 

Have Your Say 

We would love to have your feedback on our plans before work starts. 

Please give you feedback by:

Completing this short form: Feedback Form

Emailing: community@buses4us.org

Writing to: Project Benedict

℅ Buses4Us

Haka-le

Glebe Rd

Newent  GL18 1BS

Please note that comments made on social media will not be collated as part of the consultation

Privacy Policy

When you give feedback through any of the above channels your comments will be shared with all project partners and may become part of the public record of council meetings. We will not share your contact details or name.

Thank you for reading, and we look forward to recieving your feedback - the Project Benedict Team