A new submission has been made regarding a shared living property and place of worship in Newport following the rejection of an earlier proposal by the local planning department.

Developer Mr Mahmood aims to convert Ty Derwen, an unused educational structure situated on Church Road that formerly served as commercial offices and a training centre.

The revised plans involve reconfiguring the ground floor to include areas for religious observance and a play area for children.

The upper floor would see offices transformed into a communal residence for seven people.

This type of housing generally accommodates single, unconnected adults who have their own bedrooms but share communal amenities.

In this particular case, the developer has indicated that every bedroom would have an attached bathroom, with occupants sharing two kitchens and a reception area.

Newport City Council planning officers refused the original development plans last October on grounds of potential serious harm to future residents who would need to share access with ground-level activities.

Further concerns included insufficient outdoor leisure areas for inhabitants, inadequate waste storage facilities, expected increase in vehicle movements, and lack of affordable housing contributions.

The previous submission received objections from 15 local residents alongside two supporting letters.

Local councillors Paul Bright, Phil Hourihane and Carmel Townsend from St Julian’s also raised concerns about traffic management, waste collection and the development’s proximity to a nursery.

In their supporting documents for the new submission, architects from KW Dorrington Architectural Associates highlighted the site’s position in a viable district and the need for continued use.

They pointed out that the application requests partial retrospective consent because internal alterations have already been completed.

They indicated that religious activities on the ground floor would happen infrequently and any children in the play area would be supervised by parents or guardians.

They clarified that the new submission includes purpose-built outdoor recreational space and updated waste storage for residents, with flood risk addressed by positioning all living areas on the upper floor.

They also argued that the shared housing would not exceed local density thresholds, and similar upper-floor residential projects have been approved elsewhere in Newport.

The public can still submit comments on the proposal, which is available on Newport City Council’s website under reference number 26/0174.