Seagulls Delay Demolition at Royal Gwent Hospital

Nesting seagulls at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport have delayed the demolition of former accommodation blocks, resulting in an estimated £110,000 additional cost to the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. The gulls, protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act, were discovered in buildings set to be demolished for a new car park. This delay follows a prior incident in July where nesting seagulls caused a £460,000 overspend due to postponements at the nearby Newport Centre. The health board's projects under an All-Wales programme are projected to exceed their budget by £2 million, although they plan to mitigate this by utilizing a £2 million underspend in discretionary capital funding. Work on the car park extension has yet to commence as further surveys are required before proceeding. A spokesperson confirmed that the accommodation buildings were eventually demolished in October of last year due to the nesting situation.