Listed building consent has been obtained by planners who want to open up a network of underground vaults in Newport. LoftCo won approval for dining rooms, a yoga studio, a tattoo parlour and a games arcade in the vaults below Newport Market in the city centre in July, but listed building consent remained outstanding.
Now approval has been granted work can begin on the vaults to transform the dingy looking space into a commercial hub which will undoubtedly attract inquisitive visitors, but that work cannot start until further funding is received. The vaults, which were said to once be used for livestock and to even imprison criminals, have never been open to the public, according to planning documents.
The space consists of a central corridor with rooms either side, stair access at either end of the corridor which lead to the market, and most of the rooms have arched doorways with iron railings. There were concerns from historic building conservationists that the plans would harm the vaults’ character if those iron railings were removed.
