Newport: Youth asylum seeker hostel plans face opposition

The proposed hostel would house eight young asylum seekers

A proposed hostel for young asylum seekers has been met with concerns from neighbours, councillors and police.

Plans have been submitted to Newport council to change two flats at 1 Clyffard Crescent, Stow Hill, into a hostel for eight people.

The hostel is part of the authority's statutory obligation to provide suitable homes for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).

Newport is also a recognised "city of sanctuary".

The plans have received a 57 objections - including from ward councillors.

• Council's plea on asylum seekers

Hannah Lewis-Jones was one of the residents who objected to the proposal and said it had already been a "very miserable couple of months" in the area, with noisy tenants already living in the building keeping her awake at night.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I came to Newport after an abusive marriage and it's been my safe haven.

"I have spent the past four years defending Newport but now I can't. With the street lights being turned off as well, I don't feel safe."

Gwent Police has objected citing 561 reports of anti-social behaviour and 560 public order offences in the area between December 2021 and November 2022.

According to the council's social services department, the accommodation will be for asylum seekers who are 18 or about to reach that age.

It said the property is expected to follow "standard safety measures" including evening welfare checks, CCTV, and daily updates from developer D2 Propco who is behind the plan.

Each person will be allocated support staff - a social worker and a personal adviser.

Stow Hill councillor Miqdad Al-Nuaimi said the proposal had caused "a lot of concern and consternation" for residents in his ward.

Councillor Kate Thomas, who also represents Stow Hill, said the application "risks serious deterioration" of the area.

But Mark Seymour, a project manager at The Gap Wales, a charity supporting refugees and asylum seekers in Newport, said the homes do not usually bring the same challenges as homeless hostels.

"These young people don't tend to have these life-controlling addictions," he said. "They are young people who live independently, but they are away from their parents and just need support."

He added: "It would be better for these people to be in foster care, but there's a shortage [of carers] in Newport."

The planning application is expected to go to the council's planning committee in March.