It's Wales' fastest-growing city - but young people are struggling to buy a house

Nowhere in Wales is growing as fast as Newport.

And as the number of people in their 20s and 30s in the city increases, it is also bucking a national trend - as the country gets older, Newport remains young.

Sandwiched between economic powerhouses Cardiff and Bristol, its booming population has been fuelled by incomers from both directions, reshaping Newport's property landscape.

But the expanding housing market in Wales' fastest-growing city means it has also been stretched thin, with some first time buyers feeling priced out.

Jade Hunt and Jamie Hine, a house-hunting couple both in their 20s, say it is becoming increasingly difficult "to progress to that next stage in life" in the city.

Jade said: "Obviously we're at that age now where we'd like to get a property, but it's just too difficult - where do you start?"

Many people across Wales have been in touch with BBC Your Voice to say they are concerned about the issue, with affordability as well as shortages cited by people across the country ahead of the election.

Newport will be represented by the new constituency of Casnewydd Islwyn in the next Senedd, with Islwyn, Newport East, and Newport West combined into one area.

Jade, 27 and Jamie, 26, say they want to build their life in their hometown, but have found their house-hunt in Newport hard going.

They said their search for the perfect property has been "very difficult", and has been made harder, said Jaime, because he is self employed.

"Especially if you go down the sole trader route - people who are sole traders or early into their limited company days, it's really difficult", he says.

"I think for a sole trader you need to have 24 months of work completed, which can be difficult if you're trying to get a house."

Jamie says a lot of young people are "just losing faith".

"No matter who you pick nothing really goes the way you want", Jade adds.

Newport and the surrounding area has been seen as a more affordable alternative for first‑time buyers from the Welsh capital looking east and their counterparts on the English side of the Severn looking west.

Some commuters have noted it can be just as quick to travel from Newport to Bristol, than from some of Bristol's own suburbs.

Average House Price: Source ONS March 2026

Newport council has a plan that could see more than 10,500 homes built across the city, to satisfy an estimated demand of more than 9,500 homes - but that plan stretches to 2036.

Huge housing developments are under construction across the city, including thousands of homes on the old steelworks site in Llanwern.

Paul Herritty, 80, worked in the steelworks for 31 years and laments what he sees as the lack of opportunities, including housing, for young people in the city.

"They're taking us back into the stone age as far as I'm concerned", he said.

"You've only got to look at Newport, I used to be proud to say I was born and bred in Newport - we've lost it, but there you go.

"I had a good living there, a lot of people did - where I was brought up there was industry everywhere around this area, now nothing.

"I'm 80 today, and we've had the best years."

Another frustration for people in the area is congestion.

Traffic on the M4 often complicates commutes - and the long‑debated relief road continues to cast a shadow over discussions about the city's growth.

The M4 relief road - the most famous road never built in Wales - was scrapped by the Welsh government in 2019 over affordability and environmental concerns.

Those concerns centred on the damage it could do to the Gwent Levels wetlands to the south of the city.

A transport commission proposed alternatives, such as speed restrictions and improved public transport, and five new railway stations have been announced for the region to try and reduce congestion.

But calls for action on the relief road remain.

Kyle Ceignot, 25 runs a bakery in the Pillgwenlly area of the city, or 'Pill' if you are a local.

An old docklands community, it is one of the oldest and most diverse parts of the city, and Casnewydd Islwyn constituency.

The business owner would like to see more investment and support "for the local community", but is also a big backer of a new M4 relief road - "100% for it," he said.

Kyle believes the "constant traffic around Newport" is harming the city.

"For the economy, I think it would bring a lot to Wales, the bridge and the tunnels cause massive issues, so if there's a relief road it would be great," he said.

But, of course there will be those who disagree.

Newport's connectivity is the key to its future, but it has fuelled a housing pinch-point.

This will present a challenge for whoever is in power in Wales after the Senedd election.