Homeless pods to be delivered to Newport car park

The controversial scheme to build 12 modular homes on Hill Street Car Park in Newport city centre was recommended for approval by council planning officers, before the planning committee voted to refuse the plans in December 2021, by a margin of five votes to four.

But, under Welsh Government granted Permitted Development Rights, building work started on site in September 2021 – and can continue, though developers are still required to secure planning permission within 12 months of work starting.

Now, developers Linc Cymru have found themselves in a tricky position, as the pods are due to arrive at site later this month (from February 7).

Today (February 2), Linc have confirmed that work will continue once the pods arrive, and a new planning application will be submitted, with hopes that it will address the concerns raised by the council planning committee.

Last year, Newport City Council agreed to lease a section of the car park to Linc Cymru, for a period of 250 years.

Why were plans refused?

In a report drawn up by planning officers, plans to build 12 self-contained single bedroom pods on an underused section of Hill Street car park in the city centre seemed set to be approved.

At the time, it was recommended that they be conditionally approved for use as temporary accommodation, as a step up from bed and breakfasts, before residents could be moved to more permanent housing.

But, committee members had their own thoughts on the matter, and in a contentious decision, voted to refuse the plans.

The original artist impression of the pods

They reasoned that the design and location of the pods would “fail to preserve or enhance the appearance of the St Woolos Conservation Area”.

At the committee meeting, Natalie Thompson, the council’s housing needs unit manager, said the “demand on services at the moment is extremely high”.

It is estimated that in Newport, there are 380 households living in temporary accommodation, with 270 of these said to be single person households.

How will new plans differ?

Linc has revealed that following the planning setback, their design team has made some changes to their proposals.

These include introducing green walls, additional landscaping, and a redesigned perimeter wall and railings.

What’s more, the bin and bike storage will be redesigned to make them more traditional in appearance.

How similar pods have ended up looking

It is hoped that these measures, along with the fact that the block will be set back from Hill Street, will make them more appealing.

Parts of the original plan are set to remain, however.

This includes the two-storey building with 12 one-person apartments , with decking and balcony space.

These are located on the eastern side of Hill Street Car Park, with 28 parking spaces to be retained.

What has been said about the plans?

The council’s housing officer who supported Linc’s application said: “I support these proposals which will provide much needed long term accommodation for households that are currently in temporary homelessness accommodation. During the pandemic there has been a significant increase in people approaching the local authority for assistance with housing and homelessness.

“Once a household has been placed in temporary homelessness accommodation there are currently limited options for them to move on to long term permanent accommodation.

“There is not sufficient housing association stock in Newport to meet this need and private rented sector properties are increasingly unaffordable. This development is an important part of local authority plans to increase the supply of affordable social housing in Newport.”

The interior of similar pods

Linc’s executive director property and commercial, Louise Attwood said: “The homeless crisis in Wales is acute in Newport. We were obviously disappointed our application to provide secure, high quality permanent homes for 12 vulnerable people using innovative technology on an underused car park was refused.

“But we have listened to what councillors and our neighbours had to say about the original application and have made some important changes to our application to seek to address those concerns.

“I really want to reassure residents that the new homes are really well-designed, attractive and high-quality. This development will be extremely well-managed.”