Proposals for the future of the council-owned former WHSmith building in Newport city centre have been pushed back due to surveying delays.

Members of the council’s cabinet were due to receive a report this week setting out possible options for the building.

The matter was dropped from the meeting, however, after surveying of the property took “longer than expected” – a cabinet member has since said a report “will go to council as soon as possible after that has been completed”.

The council approved the purchase of the three-storey building at 166-168 Commercial Street for roughly £455,000 earlier this year.

Cabinet members argue the move aligns with their plans to tackle empty shops in the city centre, as set out in the local authority’s placemaking plan for future prosperity.

Cllr James Clarke, the Labour administration’s cabinet member for regeneration, said the authority “remains committed to finding a solution for this property”.

He noted the large Commercial Street premises were “unlikely to ever be used for retail purposes again”.

“As a result, the council decided to take the opportunity to buy it using time-limited UK Government funding specifically targeted at regeneration,” he said.

“I hope the site will be used in an innovative way to benefit those living, working and visiting the city centre.”

Cllr Clarke added he wanted to tackle empty shops but the majority of properties in Newport city centre are “privately owned by absent landlords who have no real interest in whether they are brought back into use or, in some cases, whether they are maintained to a reasonable standard”.

“The council cannot turn around the fortunes of the city centre on its own but works closely with the private and public sector to carry out positive interventions wherever it can.”

Cllr Matthew Evans, who leads the Conservative opposition group, said he was “in favour of trying to provide better green spaces” in the city centre, but hoped the Commercial Street site could be kept free of antisocial behaviour and drug use when it is renovated.

“How are we going to make sure it doesn’t end up as a haven for addicts?” he asked. “We need to make it a welcoming environment.”

He also added he was unsure whether the footprint of the building was big enough for redevelopment as a community space, and believed the council “needs to look at an area, not just a building”.