25-04-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Newport: Plans to convert former nursery into flats approved
The upper floors of the building on Commercial Street, Newport, will be transformed into two two-bedroom flats, with a planning application being granted with conditions.
The site, which has previously been used as both a restaurant and a nursery, received approval for this new use on April 4.
The site is located in the city centre, and the plans include internal waste storage and cycle storage for five bicycles.
The conversion will see the first and second floors of the building transformed, with each flat offering 71.3 square metres of space, exceeding the minimum requirement of 58 square metres.
The application, submitted by Cerda Planning Ltd, received no objections from consulted neighbours, the Glamorgan Gwent Archaeological Trust, Dwr Cymru, the council's waste manager, or the Sustainable Drainage Approval Body.
The council's conservation officer also raised no objections, citing no heritage impact, while the highways department had no objection but required cycle storage plans and supported no on-site parking due to the "sustainable city centre location."
However, this approval is contingent on a Section 106 legal agreement.
If this is not signed within three months of the resolution, the delegated authority may refuse the application.
The Section 106 includes a £2,436 commuted sum for an off-site affordable housing contribution.
The flats, which have no outdoor amenity space, justify this due to their city centre context.
The environmental health department has requested a construction environmental management plan covering dust, noise, hours of work, and lighting, alongside an internal sound insulation plan.
A waste and recycling provision plan and a potential assessment if air source heat pumps are used, have also been requested.
This approved proposal is a scaled-back version of a previously refused plan to convert the site into five flats.
The earlier proposal was rejected due to concerns about a lack of natural light, privacy issues, and the absence of a legal agreement.
The new plan has been supported by a light assessment from Anstey Horne, demonstrating sufficient daylight and sunlight.
The site is recognised as a sustainable brownfield location, aligning with local policies.
