5 days ago
Plans to convert vacant upper floors into flats rejected over lack of noise reports
Plans to convert vacant upper floors into flats have been rejected.
The proposal was for the change of use of the first and second floors of a building on Charles Street, Newport, into two self-contained flats.
However, Newport City Council refused the application due to several key issues.
The main reasons for refusal included inadequate information on the internal noise levels and natural ventilation within the city centre location.
The application did not include a noise assessment, which is a requirement under certain policies and guidelines.
The proposal was also deemed to have failed in demonstrating the delivery of sustainable development.
This was due to insufficient mitigation for affordable housing, which goes against specific planning obligations and policies.
The site in question is a three-storey mixed-use property with a commercial ground floor and currently vacant upper floors.
The building is located in a town centre conservation area and opposite a Grade II listed building.
The proposed changes included a two-bedroom flat on the first floor with a combined kitchen and living area and a bathroom.
The second floor and loft area were to be converted into another two-bedroom flat with a separate lounge, kitchen, and bathroom.
However, the size of the second flat was found to be marginally below the standard.
The application also included a proposal for a rear roof plane Velux rooflight, but this was not detailed sufficiently in the submission.
The principle of the development was considered acceptable in terms of reusing vacant upper floors in a sustainable location.
However, the lack of a noise insulation or impact assessment, given the city centre location and the late-night use of the ground floor commercial units, was a critical failure.
The Highways Authority also objected to the proposal due to the missing cycle storage details.
No off-street parking was included in the proposal, but this was deemed acceptable.
The application was made by C Peters and was considered under national and local planning policies.
The planning application, numbered 25/0317, was refused on August 11, 2025.
Despite no objections from Welsh Water and the waste manager finding the waste collection arrangements acceptable, the application did not receive any public representations.
