THE Welsh Government has agreed to grant £20,000 a year to help fund homing of the Newport Ship - but a new storage site for it is yet to be confirmed.

The Argus reported last month that pressure to confirm a new location for the ship was growing after it was revealed the deadline for its move from its current site has been delayed to December, causing fears over the future of the artefact.

The ship is currently housed at the Ship Centre on Maesglas Industrial Estate, but the lease for the site in Maesglas is up at the end of this year.

Now, Welsh Government has confirmed there is a grant of £20,000 per year for the next three years to support the conservation and storage project - but the grant is conditional on the chosen storage providing adequate public access.

Newport City Council has said it is considering a proposal that could see the medieval ship stored in a recently-constructed commercial property which has not been named.

Cabinet members Councillor Mark Whitcutt cabinet member for leisure and culture, and cabinet member for HR and assets Councillor Gail Giles, will consider if this is the best option for the artefact.

A report has gone to the two cabinet members recommending that the project to conserve the timbers is completed at a specialist conservation facility for a maximum of three years while a permanent solution is found with the Friends of Newport Ship.

Conservation charity Friends of the Newport Ship originally planned to start moving the ship, believed to be more than 560 years old, by October.

The chairman of the charity, Peter Hayward, said a suitable warehouse in Newport had been identified but it was yet to be secured.

Following a five-day consultation period with all members the two cabinet members will decide whether to proceed.

The 15th Century ship, which is believed to come from the Basque area, was first unearthed 2002 when work started on building the Riverfront Theatre.

Tanks filled with a special water-soluble wax are currently preserving the ship’s timbers at the Maesglas centre, but ParcelForce are set to move into the site at the end of this year.

A council spokeswoman said: “The preferred option would provide the best value for money, the building is ready for occupation, has the adequate storage needed, public open days can still be facilitated and also Welsh Government will support the proposal and therefore be willing to grant aid the project.”

Mr Hayward said on the group’s website: “I’m relieved that its now gone up to the political level of the council. They seem at long last to be doing something.”

The time provided by the proposal “provides breathing space for conservation to be completed and for us to get a trust set up,” Mr Hayward said.

But he added: “It doesn’t do anything for the long term. There’s nothing beyond that [proposal] unless the Friends provide it. There’s certainly no long term commitment from the council, but we weren’t expecting that.”