NEWPORT’S former railway station building will be converted into a council information centre after planners gave proposals the green light.

Network Rail, which owns the building, won permission to change the 1920s ground floor booking hall into a “one stop shop” where people can access a whole range of council services.

This will bring health professionals, police, Citizens Advice, housing, Job Centre Plus, Communities First and the university under one roof.

The centre will be open to customers without appointment and although the majority of visitors are expected to arrive on foot, 17 parking spaces, including two disabled bays, would be available in the existing car park.

Work needed outside the building includes, new entrance doors, replacement windows and a new sign.

Newport Access Group complained about access to the car park and called for more bus stops along the Queensway to allow less able people to be dropped off outside the building.

But planners said the building already had close links to public transport and car parks in the city, adding that the building's close proximity to the city centre would bring footfall back to an area, which has suffered a decline in recent years.

The council hopes the new facility will make it easier for people to access council services in one place instead of having to visit separate locations across the city.

It will also save the council money on utility bills and the sale of surplus buildings.

In December last year the authority said it hoped work would start in the summer before full opening in the autumn.