New plan for 218 homes at former Caerleon university campus

Redrow Homes, which bought the site for £6.2 million from USW earlier this year - to the dismay of some in Caerleon - is proposing to build a “high quality” new neighbourhood with 218 homes.

The new plans include retaining and converting listed buildings at the site - including the main grade-II listed former campus building - to provide 49 homes.

A mixture of one-, two-, three- and four-bedroomed homes are proposed, including 147 open market and 22 affordable houses.

The plans also include improving pedestrian and cycle connections, with an existing path widened to create a three-metre wide footpath and cycleway.

Several public open spaces will also be created under the plans, using the landscape gardens of the main listed building, a woodland edge, and a rugby pitch.

The landscaped gardens will be renovated, creating a space for relaxation, and the pitch area will be ‘rewilded’, with tree and meadow planting, while keeping a ‘kickabout’ space.

A new equipped children’s play area will be provided on the rugby field.

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A design and access statement says the scheme will be “carefully designed” to cater for the whole community, with spaces for recreation, exercise and relaxation.

“This will aim to encourage residents out of their homes, to engage with the landscape and the associated health benefits of doing so, and to consider non-vehicular modes of transport for local journeys,” it says.

New pedestrian links to Bellin Close, St Cadoc’s Close and Ponthir Road are also proposed from the site.

A route around the front of the listed building will ensure “every visitor and resident experiences the heritage asset as they navigate around the site,” the application says.

A previous application, from USW, to build 311 homes at the site was rejected by Newport council over air pollution and traffic concerns last year.

The 33-acre site, which includes a leisure centre and former student accommodation buildings, has most recently been used as a filming location for the hit Netflix show, Sex Education.