A restaurant in Caerleon could make way for new flats and three townhouses, if plans are approved.

The property in Ponthir Road was most recently home to El Gordo’s, a seafood and grill restaurant, but that has reportedly been closed for several months.

It has long been a fixture in the town’s hospitality sector, existing under several names, including the Stuffed Dormouse restaurant, and before that spending many years as the Roman Lodge Hotel.

But all that could change shortly if Newport City Council grants planning permission for a major redevelopment of the site.

Midpoint Property Ltd is seeking approval for its plans for the “change of use, extension and alteration of [the] restaurant building… to 10 apartments and construction of three townhouses in the car park, along with car parking for all residents and visitors”.

The spacious building currently has some hotel accommodation, comprising 15 bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms on the first floor.

If planning permission is granted, the redevelopment of the existing building would include a mixture of one- and two-bedroom apartments.

A design statement by Prichard Barnes Architects, on behalf of the applicant, claims there is a “particularly acute need for apartments in Caerleon and the problem is compounded by a low turnover rate of affordable housing stock”.

The three proposed townhouses each have three bedrooms and are “designed to meet local housing demand and current space trends”, the architects said.

Each will include a “family dining” area and kitchen, as well as a living room on the ground floor; a master bedroom with en-suite, and a second bedroom on the first floor; and a study and third bedroom on the second floor.

Newport Council is yet to make a decision on the application, which is currently out for consultation and can be viewed on the council’s website under reference 23/1073.