Locals have objected to plans to convert a house into a hostel for teenage asylum seekers in Newport. Newport City Council has applied to change a residential property in the Stow Hill area into an eight-person hostel with communal facilities.
The application was validated by the council in October of last year but more than 50 people including residents, local councillors and a police officer have opposed it so far, citing crime and safety concerns. While some agreed that accommodation for young adults was important, they feared that they would be "unsupported and unsupervised." Others said there were numerous hostels and HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) in the area already and that another could cause parking problems and anti-social behaviour.
Newport City Council has defended the proposal, saying the property would be monitored and that young people would be assessed before arrival. The final decision will be made at committee level next month.
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According to planning documents, a Gwent Police designating out crime officer said this week there appeared to be "a lack of a capable guardian (no live in or 24/7 support workers) to be able to address and deal with any issues/concerns of occupants in a timely manner" and expressed their concerns that this would cause disruption to fellow occupiers and local residents. The officer also said there had been local dispersal orders in the area last year due to "ongoing antisocial behaviour issues."
Two Stow Hill ward councillors, Cllr Miqdad al-Nuaimi and Cllr Kate Thomas, also expressed their opposition to the plans. Cllr Thomas said the application would represent "the loss of a family home in a residential area with a distinct community" while Cllr al-Nuaimi expressed concerns about the size of the property.
In a document, Cllr al-Nuaimi wrote that a proposal for eight bedrooms with a "relatively small communal area of 20m sq" could represent an "over-intensive development." He also noted that three bedrooms would be less than 9m sq before adding: "It's clear the hostel proposal is aimed at maximising the financial return to its owners/operators instead of providing proper care for the wellbeing of its client group and their physical and mental health."
However a social services officer said each of the young people would be allocated support staff and that the size of the property's rooms would be "more than adequate in terms of size." They also noted that experience with similar properties in the city had been "mainly positive" and that the "communities in which these young people are based have not raised any significant concerns to date."
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