NEWPORT council has approved a plan to open a "modern living" six-bedroom HMO above shops in the city centre.

The application, for 175A Commercial Street, aims to transform office space into accommodation above Newport's main shopping street.

If built, the HMO will be located above the Bargain Buys shop and overlook the historic Westgate Square, site of the 1839 Newport Rising.

The HMO plan, if completed, was described as being "perfectly suited to students and young professionals working and living within the city centre".

HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) usually accommodate individual adults who have separate bedrooms but typically share communal facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms.

They are commonly found in the private rental sector.

The Commercial Street application is for a HMO with six bedrooms, "each with their own en-suite and desk spaces suitable for modern living, as well as communal spaces including a kitchen, dining area and living space", planning documents show.

Base Architects, on behalf of applicant Gold Leaf Property Investments, said the proposal "requires minimal internal alterations and no alterations to the external makeup of the building".

South Wales Argus: Inside the planned HMO in Commercial Street.Inside the planned HMO in Commercial Street. (Image: Base Architects via Newport City Council)

The architects claim a new HMO would "help regenerate the site and ensure longevity to an otherwise vacant office space and heritage asset", with "excellent accessibility to local shops, the train station and local amenity within the city centre".

They said conversion of office space to a HMO would provide an "economic and environmentally-friendly way of satisfying this strong demand for affordable living in the centre".

"The site is located within a five minute walking distance of the train station, bus station, affordable grocery store and Friars Walk shopping centre," the architects added. "The site is, therefore, in a extremely desirable location and perfectly suited to students and young professionals working and living within the city centre."

Newport council planners consulted neighbours on the Commercial Street HMO plans, and received no objections.

The application was approved subject to several conditions planning conditions and a Section 106 agreement for the applicant to make a financial contribution to the council, to go towards affordable housing in Newport.