A 195-HOME housing estate along the banks of the River Usk has been granted planning permission by Newport council’s planning committee.

The application from the Pobl Group provoked debate about how roads surrounding the 5.2-hectare site near Glan Usk Primary School could cope with he demand.

A scheme for 251 homes on the site was approved by the council in August 2015 but the developers wanted to revise the proposals.

READ MORE: Revamped plans for 195-home Newport estate set for approval

Planning officer Geraint Roberts told the committee that the authority was relying on the site as it is allocated within the local development plan (LDP).

“Houses can be built on this site regardless of what you do today as there is a permission in place for more dwellings than is currently being sought,” said Mr Roberts.

“Traffic generation is an inevitability, the only way we can not generate traffic is not to develop but that isn’t an option here. This will generate less traffic than the scheme already permitted.”

Councillor Phil Hourahine said he “broadly welcomed” the application but said it had constraints like that of the proposed housing estate at the former Caerleon campus, which was refused due to traffic and air quality concerns.

READ MORE: University 'disappointed' by Caerleon housing site refusal

“Newport is suffering gridlock in virtually all main arterial roads into the city,” said the St Julian’s councillor.

“This is a landlocked area with only three widths of carriageways leading into the area.

“I welcome the houses and flats but it is likely to produce hundreds residents and their cars, plus the cars dropping off at Glan Usk Primary."

Cllr Hourahine added that Turner Street and Courtney Street, two of the main access roads into the site, were not suitable and asked that further mitigation measures be considered.

Councillor David Fouweather said he had voted against the original scheme in 2015 and would not be supporting the revised proposals.

“I feel the traffic issues haven’t been resolved, there’s one road in and out which will cause problems,” he said.

Councillor Graham Berry proposed to include a condition asking if the developers would consider installing electric charging points on the development to help towards mitigating air pollution.

The suggestion was supported and carried with the committee’s final vote to approve.