A DISUSED public shelter and toilets in Newport could be saved from being demolished as a local father dreams of opening a cafe on site.

Nigel Phillips, from local company Archery Estates Ltd, has submitted a planning application to transform the public convenience area at Ridgeway into a cafe.

The land, which sits adjacent to Allt-Yr-Yn Avenue, has been left unused in recent years but Mr Philips hopes he can turn the area around.

Father-of-two Mr Phillips said it was the mother of one of his daughter’s friends who first commented the shelter would make a good spot for a cafe.

The land was gifted to Newport Council by Tredegar Estate but has become the focus of some anti-social behaviour.

Mr Phillips said: “Newport Council had approached Tredegar Estate, where I also work, to say they wanted to knock it down but that seemed a shame.”

He decided to put in a planning application for the site with his business Archery Estates Ltd, which has been running for more than 15 years.

The business plans to invest around £25,000 into renovating the building.

It will then find a manager to put the cafe idea into action, or Mr Phillips said they will run it themselves.

Councillor David Fouweather, for Allt-Yr-Yn ward, said: “It is an excellent idea. But it has to be on one condition that it is only one building as we want to preserve the land”.

Mr Phillips said he hopes the application, which was submitted on July 18, will get to committee by October.