Affordable homes backed for old pub site plagued by fire and fly-tipping

Affordable homes are set to be built on the site of a former Newport pub which was demolished after a series of fires.

Councillors have backed the proposals for a mix of houses and flats where the Open Hearth once stood in Ringland.

Planning officer Geraint Roberts said the site off Hendre Farm Drive was “currently in poor condition despite being cleared, and has been subject to significant fly-tipping”.

The flats will be located in two blocks, including a three-storey building which will have balconies.

Mr Roberts said there was “already a very high degree of overlooking” at the site due to a footbridge linking Ringland to Llanwern High School.

Ringland councillor Malcolm Linton, who chairs the local authority’s planning committee, said the community had “seen a significant rise in antisocial behaviour and fly-tipping” on the land since the Open Hearth closed down.

“Any improvement would be greatly appreciated,” he said of the proposals for 32 new homes.

Cllr Will Routley said it was “lovely to see this area finally coming into use”.

“I wonder what took it so long?” he added. “Overall, it’s a very good scheme.”

There was some concern about lighting around the proposed new development, with Cllr Gavin Horton requesting that planning permission require the applicant to make improvements.

But Mr Roberts said that could only be limited to the application site itself, not the nearby walkway.

“We can’t ask them to light the public footway, because that’s ours,” he explained. “We can’t require a private developer to light a public structure.”

The committee voted unanimously to grant planning permission, subject to conditions and the signing of a Section 106 agreement that will provide affordable housing, investment in education, and open space on the site.