Information of our next meeting of Caerleon Civic Society can be found on our Facebook page
August 2026
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July 2026
Caerleon Civic Society held its regular monthly meeting on July 20th – a week later than normal to avoid coinciding with the end of the Festival. It was a pleasant evening with a lively group of dedicated Society members all contributing to discussion about issues of the day in Caerleon.
Consideration of current planning applications in Caerleon included a proposal to fell a number of mature trees in the Ffwrwm garden, High Street. Members were quite clear about the value of these trees and decided to object to the proposal and press for the trees to be the subject of Tree Preservation Orders.
The members were able to reflect on the presence of the Society at the Festival Meadow on the weekend of July 11th and 12th – The Big Free. Our campaign about Heavy Goods Vehicles travelling over the bridge and through Caerleon was successfully launched.
Many visitors to the Festival called at the Society’s stand, viewed our photographs of large lorries in our narrow streets and freely gave their views on the issue. A range of deeply felt concerns were raised from noise and pollution, personal health and safety and damage to the historic environment especially Caerleon Bridge.
When asked ‘Would you like to see fewer HGV’s on Caerleon’s One-Way System’, 100% of those who responded said emphatically ‘Yes’. There was an appetite for change! Members considered that this overwhelming support for the campaign required further action to maintain momentum. There was much discussion of ways to gather even further support by face-to-face meetings, and online surveys, for Caerleon residents, as well as the lobbying of decision takers. Watch this space…..
Members also discussed the potential impact on Caerleon of the solar energy project proposed by a large multi-national company, TotalEnergies, covering 300 acres of countryside just north of Ponthir on both sides of the Candwr Brook valley.
The project was at the planning stage and a current consultation by the developer was due to end on August 20th. Members supported a number of ways to ensure that information about this complex scheme was made widely available over the next few weeks. The Society itself will respond to the consultation expressing serious concern about the possible effect on Caerleon of construction traffic; the possibility that the scheme might increase the risk of properties in Caerleon being flooded during periods of heavy rainfall and rapid run-off from the 1000’s of solar panels, effecting water levels in lower Afon Llwyd; and the destruction of the beautiful countryside on our doorstep – as well as the likely downturn of local house prices if the scheme ever gets built.
Chris Thomas
Chair, Caerleon Civic Society
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June 2026
From June onwards the calendar of events in Caerleon is varied and full. Evenings and weekends, especially, provide a range of opportunities for everybody – young, old, families, visitors – to enjoy themselves at organised events, usually run by volunteers, or just by frequenting the pubs, cafes or open spaces in their leisure time.
It is particularly rewarding to show friends and relatives around Caerleon, to explore its rich history, picturesque streets and riverside views.
It is the Civic Society’s aim to highlight the best aspects of Caerleon and encourage those responsible to maintain that quality, and improve on it, wherever that is needed. Because Caerleon Civic Society aims to see both preservation and improvement, for residents and visitors alike, we have supported the Roman Caerleon Partnership as a way of creating a vision of a future Caerleon and harnessing the resources to progress towards that vision.
So as you move around Caerleon during the summer months – for everyday practical reasons or for special occasions – please take time out to make a mental list of all the things that you appreciate and another list of all the things that could be improved. Then we will all be better informed to contribute to the plans being made.
The Civic Society will be doing this as a group – walking from the Bridge up through the High Street and The Square to the historic remains beyond – making notes and taking photos as we go. Try to be positive – our community has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to influence the agenda for change – not just to ease current environmental problems but to create a sustainable place which will be even more attractive for people to visit, live and work in.
The Civic Society will be on the Festival Meadow during the The Big Free weekend of the Caerleon Festival, July 11th and 12th. Do come and see our stand, find out more about us and what we do.
In early June it was great for me to be part of a group of enthusiasts from the Monmouthshire Antiquarian Association and the Cambrian Archeological Association – with a deep interest in history and archeology – having a day-long guided walk around the sights of Caerleon. Out hugely experienced guides, Gwilym Hughes, with his enthusiasm and clear vision, and Jeremy Knight, a perfect foil with his encyclopedic knowledge and anecdotes, were expert leaders.
Although many of the participants, coming from a wide area, will have known about Caerleon’s history, especially the Roman era, I think that many were surprised, despite the achievements of bringing back to life the Baths and Amphitheatre, for example, by what still needs to be excavated, understood and passed into public knowledge. Surely a key part of our vision for Caerleon is to share that knowledge and continue to be surprised and delighted by the new finds and insights related to our unique environment.
Looking forward to seeing you at the Festival.
Our July meeting will be held one week later than usual on Monday, July 20th at 7.00pm in the Barn
Chris Thomas
Chair, Caerleon Civic Society
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May 2026
The May meeting of Caerleon Civic Society was held on Monday the 11th at the White Hart Barn.
As usual a range of current issues were discussed including planning applications and planning enforcement; a progress report about the Roman Caerleon Partnership; air quality initiatives in
the area; and the impact on Caerleon of the large-scale renewable energy (solar) project to the north of the town.
The main item under discussion was about what the Civic Society could do to develop momentum behind a campaign to ease the on-going problem of Heavy Goods Vehicles using the centre of
Caerleon as a through route.
Regular readers of this site will be aware that the Civic Society has been very concerned about this issue for a number of years. In particular we have highlighted the very poor air quality caused by most vehicles, not just large lorries, in places such as High Street and Castle Street – with air pollution caused by
vehicle exhaust being amongst the highest in the whole of Newport.
More recently we have concentrated on the effect of Heavy Goods Vehicles – not only their numbers, which we have counted – but also their impact on noise and vibration, the safety of pedestrians
using narrow pavements, and the possibility of structural damage to our heritage buildings and features such as Caerleon Bridge.
But perhaps the most important point in all of this is what the Caerleon community actually thinks about the scale and effect of HGV’s travelling through the town.
WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THIS?
The Civic Society wants to gather as much information as possible about your views and opinions – to go alongside the information about the number of large vehicles using our streets – and to
present this to the City Council and other organisations which may be able to take action to improve the situation.
Over the coming months we will be featuring this campaign on our website and social media pages; in future editions of Caerleon Community Times; and by talking to people in central Caerleon in
order to get as much information and publicity as we can.
We want to develop a public debate, together with other community groups, about what can be done about ‘through lorries – acceptable or not?
WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK.
Contact us via our Face Book page, Search: ‘Caerleon Civic
Society’ or our website www.caerleoncivicsociety.wixsite.com/caerleoncivicsociety
Chris Thomas
Chair, Caerleon Civic Society
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April 2026
The April meeting of Caerleon Civic Society was held on Monday the 13th
The Barn at the White Hart once again provided a cosy place for our group to discuss issues of current concern – from planning applications to clean air initiatives, and the progress of the Roman Caerleon Partnership.
It is good to see the Partnership engaging people in a series of events. This is an innovative way of
involving people in a potentially large-scale and complex project rather than the community having just one chance to be consulted.
The Civic Society is not only concerned with the protection and improvement of our surroundings in Caerleon but also to understand and contribute to the changing culture of our
community. That is why we supported the City Council’s bid for UK Town of Culture.
It’s that time of the year for Caerleon’s social calendar to fill up with a wide range of indoor and outdoor events. Looking at what’s on offer is a good way to test the health of our culture, locally.
Whilst our major attractions like the Museum and the Baths continue to provide a full programme of enjoyable and informative opportunities for the whole family, many local organisations are also planning to hold events.
These voluntary efforts deserve support from across the community. Over the coming months events will be taking place in Caerleon like the Tug-of-War in May and the Arts Festival in July, as well as all the
sporting events and those associated with the schools, churches and pubs. These events help to make Caerleon the interesting and welcoming place that it is.
Keep an eye out for these events – there is sure to be some that
meet your interests – and try to support them.
March 2026
The March meeting of Caerleon Civic Society and Annual General
Meeting was held on Monday the 9th.
All the Society’s officers were re-elected. It was good to see existing members coming forward to assist with publicity, planning applications and our survey project work. We welcomed several people who came along to ‘see what we do’ before deciding to join. Perhaps you would like to do the same?
Unfortunately our invited guest speaker had to cancel at the last moment for personal reasons. This allowed members to give more time to the discussion of other agenda items and there was a full
consideration of current planning applications, our survey of Heavy Goods Vehicles in central Caerleon, and the Roman- Caerleon Partnership.
The Society’s concern for the environmental impact of large lorries using Caerleon as a through route, indeed excessive traffic in general, has been endorsed by the City Council’s Heritage Officer who has drawn particular attention to the effect of vehicle pollution on the fabric of listed buildings; the risk of large vehicles colliding with buildings in our narrow streets; the effects on the structure of the Grade 2 listed Caerleon Bridge; and the largely unseen effect on building fabric of ground vibration from passing large vehicles.
The Society would add noise, pedestrian/cyclist safety, and the effect of air pollution on health to this list.
The Society intends to find out what people who live and work in the High Street and Castle Street think about these problems.
Please get in touch, at our contact details below, to share your views.
As mentioned last month, the Roman Caerleon Partnership has published its draft Vision for consultation. The Society looks forward to getting involved in discussions with other interested
parties about this key issue for the future of Caerleon. Watch this space!
Please try to watch the latest excellent and informative You Tube video, called Ponthir Solar 4 and produced by a local resident, about the proposed solar farm in our area.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-E6TvF5Z7I
Annual Subscriptions are due. Membership is open to everyone who wants to support the Civic Society and the community. Your subscription will help make a difference. We actively welcome
new members.
The current annual subscription is 10 pounds per person.
Membership runs from April 2026 to the end of March 2027.
You can pay by BACS to Santander business account, Caerleon Civic Society, 09-01-54, 15352908; by cash at our meetings or at Caerleon Post Office.
If you pay online please confirm your name and contact details, for record purposes, by email to our Treasurer at caerleoncivicsociety2025@gmail.com
WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK.
Their are a few ways to contact the Civic Society. Enquires and comments to our website can be sent to www.caerleoncivicsociety.wixsite.com/caerleoncivicsociety or to me personally at chris.thomas0@tinyworld.co.uk We have a Face Book page, Caerleon Civic Society
The next meeting will be held on Monday, April 13th at 7.00pm (until about 9.00pm) in the Barn at the rear of the White Hart, High Street, Caerleon. Hope to see you there.
Chris Thomas
Chair, Caerleon Civic Society
February 2026
The February meeting of the Civic Society was held on Monday the 9th. A wet winters evening, but there was still a reasonable turnout with members very willing to contribute to discussions
about a range of current issues in Caerleon.
The agenda included further detailed consideration of our survey, held before Christmas, of Heavy Goods Vehicles using the main streets of Caerleon. A number of action points were agreed. Up-
dates were provided on the Campus development, Solar Farm, and Air Quality Project.
Members welcomed the initial consultation phase of the Roman Caerleon - Working in Partnership - Project. The project team is requesting views from individuals across the whole community
about the future of Caerleon and its Roman heritage. A short survey for you to complete can be accessed through the Amgueddfu Cymru website at https://museumwales/roman/ or by
paper copies available from the Museum or the Caerleon PostOffice in the High Street.
On the website the survey is located in the Features section under the heading ‘Have Your Say - Help
shape the future of the National Roman Legion Museum.’
I would comment that this is a confusingly narrow title – the survey, the
vision and the whole partnership project should have a very much wider remit than just the future of the Museum itself.
The Civic Society strongly urges everyone to have a look at the survey, take time to read the introduction and get an understanding of the various parts of the draft vision. You won’t find specific proposals or suggested improvements for our town – that will hopefully come later in the consultation process.
Have the project team got the vision right?
This is your chance to have your say and take our ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to influence the next step for Caerleon.
It is important to note that the project has 6 volunteer ‘community advocates’ who have been locally recruited to be the ‘go-between’ for the community.
If you want to get in touch with them email caerleon.community@museumwales.ac.uk
The next meeting of the Civic Society will be held on Monday,
March 9th at 7.00pm (until about 9.00pm) at the Barn, rear of the
White Hart, High Street, Caerleon.
This will be the date of our Annual General Meeting, and there will also be a guest speaker.
Chris Thomas
Chair, Caerleon Civic Society
January 2026
The Civic Society did not hold its usual meeting in January. Instead we had a modest social event for members to start the New Year.
As we begin 2026 it is a good time to remind readers what the Caerleon Civic Society stands for and what you might expect if you became a member.
The Caerleon Civic Society has been in existence for over 50 years. It is an independent membership organisation that aims to preserve the character of this historic and friendly town and its surrounding area and to make people aware of the need to look after it.
The Society campaigns for improvement to our local environment by working with, and supporting, other groups and initiatives in Caerleon. We do not have the resources or legal powers to make these improvements ourselves – but we usually know who does!
At our regular monthly meetings we informally discuss local issues of current concern and press the responsible organisations for answers and action. We consider all planning applications in the area and respond to the consultations as needed. We are also consulted by the City Council and other public bodies about proposals for our town.
2026 is likely to be the year in which the future of Caerleon is in the spotlight as your views are sought about plans to improve the town for tourists and visitors and to identify the main developments for the next 10+ years.
You may think that your views are not wanted or that they will be ignored. This was not the case with the debate about the Town Hall and Library earlier in 2025.
Joining the Civic Society, and influencing the decisions about the future of our community, is one way of making your voice heard.
A key point is that the more active members that we have, the more that we can do. Membership is open to everyone who wants to support the Civic Society. We actively welcome new members, including those who have recently come to live in Caerleon and want to get involved.
The current annual subscription is £10. Find out more at our website – www.caerleoncivicsociety.wixsite.com/caerleoncivicsociety
The next meeting will be held on Monday, February 9th at 7.00pm (until about 9.00pm) at the Barn, rear of the White Hart, High street, Caerleon. Hope to see you there.
Chris Thomas Chair, Caerleon Civic Society
