A FORMER clothes shop in Newport could be transformed into a restaurant and takeaway, after council planners gave the proposal the thumbs-up.

The property at 116-120 Chepstow Road, in Maindee, was most recently a menswear retailer, but currently lies empty.

Now, there are plans to open a Turkish restaurant at the site - and the council has granted planning permission, despite complaints from locals that there are already too many takeaways in the vicinity.

The ground floor of the property will become a takeaway and dining area, while upstairs there are plans to create a a function room "to be used for private meetings and banquets with additional seating for up to 20 covers".

No live music is proposed for the premises, which planning documents show would employ seven full-time and seven part-time staff.

The plans drew considerable opposition when out for consultation, including a nearby trader who said the proposed restaurant would "cause issues with my business, which is already struggling in the current climate".

Another critic said there had been "a dramatic increase" in food and drink units "and this is undermining the shopping area" in Maindee.

A third person complained that there were a "larger number of takeaways in the area and any increase will lead to the area becoming empty and uninviting during the day".

One resident said they opposed the plans because of fears another takeaway would put pressure on local infrastructure.

They said: "We already struggle with parking on our street, this is just going to add more madness to the surrounding areas as people turn up to park and use this venue. This is a residential area and despite the parking scheme it is currently not benefiting the residents in any way.

"This will only cause more pollution and problems on our street and the residential areas. Please respect that people want to live peacefully not have a hoard of traffic and people issues around their house.

"It already really bad as it is and anymore will just case more and more upset to all the people who live here."

But council planners said it was "important to consider that the activities of a takeaway tend to peak at times when the surrounding background noise levels are considered to be lower".

In relation to the residents' concerns, planners said "the proposed development in isolation is not considered to give rise to any increase in anti-social behaviour".

While some doubts were raised about parking spaces - especially given the plans to include a dining area in the restaurant - the nearby pay-and-display car park was judged to provide enough capacity.

Planners also decided the proposal "will not demonstrably affect the vitality and viability of the district centre function, or give rise to an unacceptable balance" of food and drink outlets in Maindee.

The plans were approved subject to several conditions, including that the proposed premises must not open to the public outside the hours of 9am to 11pm.