A FULL planning application has been submitted for the first phase of the multi-million pound housing development at Old Town Dock.

The application, submitted by developers Sennybridge and the Seren Group, is an outline for the overall site, but includes detailed planning for the first phase of 24 houses, 65 apartments and cafe space.

The 12 acre brown-field site is to the south of the city centre, between East Docks Road and Usk Way in Newport. The proposal for the overall £39m scheme includes 86 houses, 202 apartments, 3,000 sq/ft of office units, 6,300 sq/ft of retail space, 5,300 sq/ft for cafes and a 450 sq/ft community facility. The development will include a 5-7 storey tower – not as high as first intended – as well as two and three-storey houses.

The contemporary designs show landscape boulevards running between the different housing ‘parcels’, as well as a central park space and ‘Community Square’ to act as the focal point and so-called ‘hub’ of the site.

All vehicle access will be via East Dock Road and there will be a total of 491 car parking spaces available. The application includes a travel plan which proposes a range of options to reduce the levels of car ownership. These include a car share scheme and electric pool cars for residents on the site.

The Old Town Dock was built in 1842 and shipped coal around the world from the Brecon and Monmouthshire Canal.

The reclamation of the Old Town Dock was one of the first projects undertaken by Newport Unlimited when it was formed in 2003.

The landscaping project that transformed part of the Old Town Dock area into an attractive public space complete with wetland, meadows and lawns, won an award for best Restoration and Regeneration Scheme at the National Landscape Awards 2013.