Four out of 10 feel unsafe in Newport at night
Four out of 10 people do not feel safe at night in Newport, according to the findings of one of the largest ever opinion polls carried out in the town.
Ninety-nine per cent of people who responded to the town plan questionnaire said they felt safe in Newport during the day.
But that figure fell to 59 per cent at night time, despite relatively low crime figures in the area.
And 72 per cent said they supported a greater police presence on the streets.
The questionnaire was delivered to all 5,500 households in the town in November. More than 1,400 people responded to the 53-question survey – a 26 per cent return rate. The responses were analysed independently by officials at Shropshire Rural Community Council.
The steering committee will use the data to create Newport's Town Plan, which they hope will help influence policy at Telford & Wrekin Council and Newport Town Council for the next 10 to 15 years.
Meanwhile, 80 per cent of people said Newport was a friendly place with a strong community spirit. And just 26 per cent of people supported more than 40 homes being built each year, with most wanting to see them built on brownfield land.
Most people said they wanted to see Newport's retail offering enhanced both in the High Street and on the fringes of the town.
But just 20 out of 992 people – two per cent – said they supported a proposed Sainsbury's in Station Road, which will be decided by a public inquiry later this year.
Lawrie Boardman, chairman of the town plan steering group, said: "The next step is for us to produce the final town plan report."
