Newport EV Bay Markings Prompt Consultation Concerns 2026

Key Points

• Restricted parking bays as well as electric vehicle charging stations have been installed on Milner Street in Newport.
• It was previously stated by the residents that there would be no restricted white lines on the parking bays, as stated by Lliswerry councillor Andrew Sterry.
• Cllr Sterry claimed that the confirmation had been provided in writing and that drivers should be allowed to park their cars in those spaces.
• Newport City Council apologized and described the difference between what had initially been advised and the final plan as a “communication error”.
• Rhian Howells, cabinet member for infrastructure, claimed that safety recommendations meant the bays could not be left unmarked.
• According to Newport City Council, the process of traffic regulation order had been conducted afterwards, including an additional consultation, indicating that there were plans to mark the bays.
• Cllr Sterry claimed that he was not going to pursue a change in decision any more, although he was still worried about the consultation process.

Newport (Wales Times) August 29, 2026 – uk/local/newport/">Newport restricted parking bays installed beside electric vehicle charging points in Milner Street have led to criticism after residents were previously told the spaces would not be marked as restricted. A Newport councillor said the final layout differed from written assurances provided during the consultation process, while the council said the change resulted from a communication error and that safety advice requires the markings to remain.

Why are Newport restricted parking bays causing concern in Milner Street?

The issue concerns electric vehicle charging bays that have recently been installed in Milner Street, Newport. According to a report by WalesOnline, residents were initially informed that the new charging points would be introduced without restricted or marked parking spaces.

Lliswerry ward councillor Andrew Sterry said residents had been given “clear written assurance” that the proposed electric vehicle charging bays would not be marked out. The reported understanding was that motorists would remain free to park in the relevant spaces rather than being subject to a marked-bay arrangement.

However, white marked bays have now been added to the street as part of the completed scheme.

As reported by WalesOnline, Cllr Sterry said: “Despite those assurances, white marked bays have now been installed.”

The councillor said the difference between what residents were told and what was ultimately delivered had raised concerns about confidence in the council’s consultation process.

He added: “This raises serious concerns about public confidence in the council’s consultation process.”

Cllr Sterry said people who take part in formal or informal consultation processes should be able to rely on the commitments made to them. If a local authority later changes an agreed scheme, he said residents should receive clear information about the revised plans and the reasons behind them.

According to WalesOnline’s report, Cllr Sterry said: “Residents are entitled to expect that commitments made during consultation will either be honoured or, if circumstances change, that they will be informed and consulted before a materially different scheme is implemented.”

The dispute is therefore not solely about the physical markings in Milner Street. It also concerns the process through which the changes were communicated, the expectation created by earlier written information and the level of consultation carried out before the final design was put in place.

What has Newport City Council said about the marked EV charging bays?

Newport City Council has acknowledged that the final arrangement differed from the original advice given to residents. Cabinet member for infrastructure Cllr Rhian Howells said the authority had apologised for the mix-up.

As reported by WalesOnline, Cllr Howells described the situation as a “communication error”.

She said the council accepted that residents had not been told clearly enough about the final scheme before it was implemented. However, she also said the council’s safety advice supports keeping the white marked bays in place.

Cllr Howells said: “The council accepts that the final scheme differed from what had originally been advised, and that this should have been communicated more clearly, but the final safety advice is that the marked bays need to stay.”

Her statement indicates that the council does not intend to remove the markings, despite accepting that the information provided earlier in the process was inaccurate or incomplete.

The council’s position is that the final safety assessment outweighs the earlier understanding that the charging spaces would not be marked. WalesOnline did not report further technical details of the safety advice, such as whether it related to visibility, access, traffic flow, parking behaviour or the operation of the charging points.

The authority also said that it subsequently used the traffic regulation order procedure to set out the correct intention to include the bay markings. Traffic regulation orders are the legal mechanisms local authorities use to introduce or amend certain traffic and parking restrictions.

According to WalesOnline, Cllr Howells confirmed that the later procedure included “a further round of public consultation”.

That point is central to the council’s response. While it accepts the final scheme differed from the initial advice, it says the intended inclusion of markings was later made clear through the traffic regulation order process and was subject to additional public engagement.

What did Andrew Sterry say about the consultation process?

Cllr Sterry said his principal concern extended beyond the decision to retain the bay markings. He said the episode had raised wider questions about whether public consultation had been meaningful.

After Cllr Howells’ response, the Lliswerry councillor said he accepted that the council’s final position was not likely to change. He said he did not intend to keep pressing the same point after the authority made clear that it would not reverse its decision.

As reported by WalesOnline, Cllr Sterry said: “The council’s final position is that the markings must remain because of safety advice – I accept that this is now their position and I don’t intend to keep pursuing the same issue when they have made it clear they will not reverse the decision.”

However, he said he remained dissatisfied with how the matter had been managed.

He said: “However, I remain disappointed with how this was handled.”

Cllr Sterry said residents had engaged with the consultation in good faith. His concern was that people who responded to the original proposals may have done so on the basis of information that did not reflect the scheme eventually installed.

He said: “Residents participated in the consultation in good faith.”

The councillor added that, where a council decides that its original proposal can no longer be delivered, residents and ward councillors should be told about the change directly and given an explanation.

According to WalesOnline, he said: “If the council subsequently decided that what had originally been agreed could no longer be delivered, residents and their ward councillors should have been clearly informed and the reasons explained.”

His comments reflect a distinction between accepting the council’s safety-based decision and challenging the way the change was communicated. Cllr Sterry said he accepts the authority’s stated final position, but maintains that the process should have involved clearer notice to residents and local representatives.

What does the dispute mean for parking in Milner Street?

The immediate outcome is that the marked bays beside the electric vehicle charging points are expected to remain in place.

Cllr Howells said the council’s final safety advice requires the markings to stay, while Cllr Sterry said he does not intend to continue pursuing a reversal after the council made its position clear.

The WalesOnline report does not specify the exact parking conditions attached to the marked spaces, including whether they are reserved exclusively for electric vehicle charging, whether there are time restrictions or whether penalties apply for unauthorised use. It does establish that residents had expected the new charging-point spaces not to be marked as restricted, and that white marked bays were subsequently installed.

For people living in Milner Street and drivers using the road, the practical importance will depend on the final signage and applicable parking rules. The council has said a traffic regulation order process was followed to indicate the intention to include the markings, with a further consultation included in that process.

The wider issue concerns how future parking, transport and electric vehicle infrastructure schemes are communicated. Residents may expect councils to make clear when safety reviews, technical assessments or legal processes alter the details of a proposal after an initial consultation has taken place.

What is the background to the Newport EV charging bay development?

The development relates to the installation of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Milner Street in Newport. The stated original understanding, according to Cllr Andrew Sterry, was that the charging bays would be installed without white marked spaces that would restrict parking.

Electric vehicle charging facilities are increasingly being introduced on residential streets as public authorities seek to expand charging access for households that may not have private driveways or off-street parking. Such schemes can involve decisions on road layout, signing, parking controls, access and safety.

In this case, the disagreement arose because the completed scheme included white marked bays, despite the earlier written assurances referred to by Cllr Sterry. Newport City Council has accepted that the final arrangement differed from what residents had originally been advised and said this should have been communicated more clearly.

The council’s response is that safety advice supports retaining the marked bays and that the corrected intention was later addressed through the traffic regulation order process and another round of consultation. Cllr Sterry has said the issue demonstrates the need for consultation to be meaningful and for changed plans to be clearly explained to affected residents and councillors.

How could the Newport parking bay decision affect residents and drivers?

For Milner Street residents, the decision means the marked electric vehicle charging bays are likely to remain as part of the road layout. Drivers who previously expected unrestricted use of those spaces may need to check the signage and applicable parking rules before using them.

For residents who participated in the consultation, the case may influence expectations about future council projects. The council has acknowledged that it should have communicated the difference between the initial advice and final scheme more clearly. That acknowledgement could lead residents and ward councillors to seek more detailed updates when road, parking or transport proposals are amended after consultation.

For Newport City Council, the development may place greater attention on how it explains changes to planned schemes, particularly where initial written assurances create clear expectations. The authority’s final decision remains based on its stated safety advice, but the response from Cllr Sterry shows that the communication process may continue to be relevant in future discussions about local parking controls and electric vehicle infrastructure.