Planning permission granted for Stow Hill controversial homeless accommodation

PLANNING permission for controversial homeless accommodation on Hill Street has been granted by Newport City Council.

Construction work has begun on housing association Linc Cymru’s proposed 12 self-contained pods in Stow Hill. The pods are for people currently living in temporary accommodation and seeking a permanent home. The pods will form a terrace of six homes on the ground floor and six on the first floor for single occupancy.

Each pod will have a kitchen diner, bedroom and bathroom. In addition to a ‘Juliet’ style balcony in the kitchen diner area.

At a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, September 7, members weighed up objections from residents and local councillors against the need for housing in the city.

Katherine Howells, service manager for housing, regeneration and investment, said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, Newport City Council has faced increasing pressures to provide temporary, emergency and supported accommodation, particularly for single people.

“The development of the flats at Hill Street is an integral part of Newport City Council’s plan to address homelessness as it aims to prevent people from experiencing sustained or repeated homelessness by providing affordable housing, with floating support for people who are currently living in temporary accommodation.”

According to the report, as of May 2022, there were 369 households in temporary accommodation with an average of 18 households moving onto permanent accommodation per month. There are currently between 15 and 20 households ready to move-on from supported accommodation.

Planning permission for the former car park was originally approved in 2021, under Covid-19 emergency permitted development rights. These rights were introduced by the Welsh Government to get people off the streets during the pandemic – this permission expires on September 13, 2022.

A previous application for the retention and completion of the site was rejected in December 2021, due to the design of the building in the context of the conservation area.

The site is within St Woolos Conservation Area and Laura Smith, conservation officer at the council, had objected to the application.

Ms Smith said: “I consider that they would fail to preserve or enhance the character of the conservation area or preserve the setting of nearby listed buildings.”

The conservation officer’s main concerns were the materials and design of the building – metal tiling, solar panels, green roof, and metal railings.

The report states: “The very clear need for these units which is supported by national and local policy needs to be balanced against the impact of the scheme.”

It adds: “This development is for 12 units of housing. It is not a hostel or even supported living where a degree of care is provided to those who need it. Nor is it a HMO. As such there is no reason to see this as potentially more problematical than any other housing development that comes before the council for assessment.”

At the meeting, Stow Hill councillor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi, said:

“The current application is an improvement but in my view it hasn’t addressed the issue of how it fits in the conservation area.”

The “micro-flats” are described as “very small” with some being below the internal space standards of 37 square metres. This is justified in the report because the bath has been replaced with a shower, and the fact the housing meets a “niche need”.

No on-site support was proposed because future occupants will be able to “live independently” and will not have “extreme vulnerabilities”.

An assessment panel – compromising of the council’s social services and housing department, Linc Cymru, Gwent Police, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, and the voluntary sector – will decide on the occupants of the pods. Tenants will be those found to be “not homeless intentionally” by Newport City Council.

The application was recommended for approval with conditions by the council’s planning officers.

The development has resulted in a loss of 25 car parking spaces. The electric car charging points have been moved to the Pye Corner Station car park and the car park at Hollybush Avenue. The remainder of the site will continue as a council-run car park.

No car parking spaces are proposed as part of the development because of its proximity to the city centre and public transport.

An enclosed bike store is included as part of the development, which residents can access with a fob.