The Newtown bypass is a great opportunity to open up new residential and commercial land opportunities as well as helping increase the value of some properties in the town, according to estate agents Morris, Marshall and Poole with Norman Lloyd.

The new £90 million road was opened on Thursday, 14 February by Ken Skates AM, Transport Minister.

“The new road will bring many benefits not only to Newtown but the whole Mid Wales region, including opening up new residential and commercial land opportunities that are currently constrained,” said Andrew Turner, a partner at MMP/NL, chartered surveyors and estate agents in Mid Wales and Shropshire.

“From a residential point of view, we anticipate a positive effect on property in parts of the town where traffic and congestion has previously been a problem, such as Llanidloes Road, Pool Road, Llanfair Road, Milford Road and Canal Road, which have all had traffic issues for years.”

Mr Turner said the economic benefits could be significant.

“We know people have avoided Newtown for some time because of the congestion. We should see people wanting to come into the town to shop or visit now, knowing they can access the town easily and manoeuvre around it freely,” he said.

“This will be beneficial for retailers and others in the town centre particularly.”

He added:

“We’ve previously seen problems with businesses on the town’s industrial estates, and potential commercial tenants, being affected by the length of time it took to move from one part of the town to the other. This will no longer be an issue, with easy access on and off the bypass at various points to locations such as the Vastre and Mochdre industrial estates.”

He said the bypass could also see tourists deciding to travel via Newtown to reach the coast instead of travelling via Welshpool to Dinas Mawddwy.

“This could see more visitors wanting to stop in Newtown for a break or to shop as their last point before reaching the coast.”

“All in all, the bypass is a good opportunity for the area and we anticipate a positive effect for residents and businesses.”