A PUB in the centre of Newport is set to undergo some refurbishment work, after overcoming lengthy obstacles with the planning process.

As far back as February 2021, plans were submitted which would see the Greyhound Tavern on Newport’s High Street renovated.

According to a planning application which was submitted to Newport City Council by Griffiths Design Ltd on behalf of Jack Bannister, the plans will involve replacing both ground floor entrance frontages, in addition to some internal alterations.

But, both entrances – on the High Street and Cambrian Road respectively, are understood to be historic in nature.

And, as a result, the plans found themselves under the microscope of the council’s conservation office, which objected to the plans on eight occasions.

According to the planning application, neither frontage is original – a fact that was disputed by a conservation officer, who wrote: “I have no reason to believe the assertion within the accompanying planning statement that (the Cambrian Road frontage) is not original as it certainly is entirely in keeping with the character of the building and appears to be of considerable age.

"To High Street is an earlier building of a simpler design, presumably early 19th century. Whilst the joinery at ground floor level is probably modern, its traditional character relates well to the 19th century character of the building.

Continuing, the office originally objected to the application, saying: “The plain glazed panels in aluminium frames proposed would represent stark and alien features to these traditional elevations and in my view would be highly incongruous.

“The proposals would destroy the historic frontage to Cambrian Road which would cause unacceptable and unjustified harm to the character of the conservation area. There is very little detail to the drawings, but the High Street treatment appears poorly proportioned and crude.”

Following the initial objections, the plans are understood to have been amended, to allow for some changes to be made, while retaining the original character of the premises.

Further changes are set to be made inside the premises.

But, while these are not subject to the planning application, supporting documents reveal that “the applicant is investing considerable money in improving the facility and the new entrances will compliment and complete these modernisation works”.

The application also suggests that once complete, the premises will employ 16 staff members, and increase from the 11 which it is currently said to employ.

Following the amendments to the design, planning permission was granted for the renovation work at The Greyhound on Friday, May 27.