Caerleon Campus redeveloper hits car park snag

Council planners in Newport have pushed back against changes to building materials within part of the Caerleon Campus redevelopment.

More than 200 homes have been earmarked for the former higher education site, which was controversially closed down in 2016 and mostly sold off for housing.

Acorn Property Group, one of the site’s developers, had applied to amend previous planning permission slightly, allowing for changes to some of its car parks.

Planning documents show the developer wanted to change “the colour of certain parking bays to break up the extent and appearance of the hard surfacing”.

This change “seeks to simplify the hard surface material for some of the car parking spaces and pedestrian routes around the site”.

However, a report by Newport City Council planning officers judged the changes to be “notable” and would “go beyond the non-material amendments” applied for.

They decided to refuse planning permission for the developer’s request.