Caerleon campus housing scheme approved despite objections

An artist impression of some of the new homes to be built on the former university site

Controversial plans to build housing on a former university campus have been approved, despite concerns over construction traffic and pollution.

Newport councillors backed the Redrow scheme for 219 homes in Caerleon.

A previous bid by the University of South Wales for 310 homes was rejected in 2018 over similar fears.

The latest scheme was recommended for approval as the only site outside Caerleon's Air Quality Management Area, where pollution levels exceed targets.

At a planning meeting on Wednesday, all three local ward councillors spoke against the application, one pointing to a petition signed by 200 objectors, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Jason Hughes said: "You really have to see the daily grind of local residents to understand the depth of concern in regards to this application.

"Nothing has changed since you last considered an application on this site."

The prospect of heavy goods vehicles coming round "sweeping and dangerous bends" was a major concern, he added.

Chris Thomas, chairman of Caerleon Civic Society, said a letter to the council that he did not oppose the development in principle, but said there was an issue about "basic health and safety" because of ongoing concerns over air quality in the area.

The main campus building has Grade II listed status

The century-old campus was closed following the merger of Newport and Glamorgan universities in 2013 to form the University of South Wales, which built new premises in Newport city centre.

The development at the Caerleon site - recently used as a filming location for the Netflix TV series Sex Education - will be completed in six phases, where the listed buildings will be converted into housing before newly-built homes are occupied.

Concerns remain over the impact of the development on air quality in Caerleon, which is breaching government targets for nitrogen dioxide levels, but a planning report recommending approval said air quality was "slowly improving".