Much-loved pub which closed during lockdown could be…

Much-loved pub which closed during lockdown could be turned into flats

A former pub in Newport which closed due to financial troubles during the pandemic could be demolished and turned into flats. The Ferns on Lliswerry Road could be knocked down and replaced with affordable flats and housing, according to new plans submitted to Newport City Council.

The pub was popular in the city and was open for more than 20 years before it shut for good during the pandemic in 2020. At the time a message shared by the pub's management said it was "no longer financially viable due to the high business overheads and zero income for several months resulting in huge losses.

"We as a business have tried everything we could to keep things going even to the point of taking losses and investing our own money," they said in a statement, adding that they had surrendered their lease back to the landlord and laid off staff. Since then the pub has been cleared out and boarded up but there has been little movement at the site since.

Now plans submitted this month by Yourspace Projects Ltd in conjunction with Melin Homes Ltd are proposing to demolish the pub and build eight affordable houses and 12 affordable flats. This includes two-bedroom houses, three three-bedroom houses, and 12 one-bedroom flats. The application submitted by Kennedy James Griffiths on behalf of Yourspace and Melin Homes said all proposals to acquire the pub had been for change of use or redevelopment rather than running it as a pub.

It said The Ferns had been "struggling to be a viable business for a number of years and was closed in early 2020, partly due to this and partly due to the coronavirus pandemic." It added that it was "unlikely that there is a viable future for a public house in this location" and that redeveloping the site would help address the social housing demand in Newport. It added that there were a number of other pubs in the area including the Man of Steel, Harvester and Man of Gwent.

The plans also include 23 proposed parking spaces and possible widening of nearby footpaths. Plans submitted in 2008 for 13 houses on the site were refused on the grounds of the area's potential for flooding and possible presence of bats. The application said flood risks were "within acceptable limits" for the current development and that bat surveys carried out had not identified any issues with demolishing the building.

The application will now be considered by Newport City Council with a decision expected in the coming months.

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