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An empty listed building in Cwmfelinfach could be converted into 14 “premium” flats for private tenants.

The Pioneer Hotel, on Maindee Road, has attracted antisocial behaviour since it closed nearly 20 years ago, including vandalism and an illegal cannabis-growing operation busted by police in 2020.

Developer Prohome Properties has set out plans for a radical makeover of the former pub, with a conversion to residential accommodation described as “the only future option for the building”.

A statement by planning agents KW Dorrington Architectural Associates argues the transformed property would become an “excellent” location for “professional tenants” – and says the applicant is committed to a “long-term” and “considerable” investment.

Any works will also have to undo a “significant” amount of unauthorised works carried out before the applicant took over the building, the agents said.

If the works are approved, plans show one flat would be built at the basement level, with four more homes on the ground floor.

Five new homes would be added to the first floor of the Grade II listed building, and the remaining four flats would be located on the top floor.

Plans show the homes would be a mix of one- and two-bedroom flats, each with their own lounge and dining area, bathroom and kitchen.

The agents said it is “vital that a long-term viable use” is found for the building after years of uncertainty over its future.

A planning application was first floated in early 2025 but a flurry of new documentation has been put forward in recent weeks.

The application is currently under consideration, and can be viewed on the Caerphilly County Borough Council website under reference 25/0190/LBC.