PLANS to convert a former nursing home in Newport into a swanky restaurant and hotel which have been strongly opposed by people living in the area could get the go-ahead next week.

The planning application to turn the £350,000 Grade II listed Rothbury House in Stow Park Circle into a boutique hotel will be discussed at a meeting of Newport City Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, December 2.

But council planning officers have recommended the application by brothers Sergio and Pasquale Cinotti – owners of popular Italian restaurants Gemelli’s – should be thrown out over concerns around access to the site and car parking.

Although the Cinotti brothers have said the re-development would bring “huge financial benefit” to the area and create 32 new jobs, the plans have proven deeply unpopular with people living in the area, with 51 separate objections lodged with the council. 

Among concerns raised are the impact on traffic and parking in the area, the potential increase in noise and anti-social behaviour as well as the effect on wildlife. 

In a letter to the council Stow Park Circle resident Lucio Martini branded the application “totally insulting and preposterous” and called it “an affront to the residents of the Circle”.

“It is totally unacceptable that we should be subjected to the chaos that will ensue if this application is allowed to proceed,” he said.

Conservative Welsh Assembly Member for South Wales East William Graham has also formally objected to the application, saying it “would appear to be contradictory to current policies for residential development within the Stow Park Circle conservation area".

“The intended use of the premises would conflict with any form of quiet enjoyment for local residents,” he said.

But supporters of the application have said it would bring a building which has lain derelict for six years back into use and have welcomed the idea of a high-quality boutique hotel within Newport, saying it would bring more money into the city which might otherwise be lost to Cardiff or Bristol.

Other supporters have said the type of clientele the restaurant would attract are not those who would be likely to cause rowdy or anti-social behaviour and it would offer training opportunities to budding chefs, who would be able to use their expertise to improve the range of culinary in Newport.

Although the application previously included provision to convert an outbuilding to a “cake manufacturing area”, this is no longer part of the plans.

The Victorian-era building was originally built as a private house and later become a nursing home, which closed in 2009. The building has lain vacant since.

Wednesday’s meeting at Newport Civic Centre is open to the public and will begin at 9.30am. For the full agenda and application details visit www.newport.gov.uk.