A LISTED building near Newport city centre could be converted into a HMO under new plans.

The property at 10 Clarence Place is currently "derelict and dilapidated", sitting near the old TJ's nightclub and concert venue and next to the city's former arts college, which is now flats.

Planning documents reveal an application to turn the site into a five-bed HMO (house in multiple occupation) with a shared living space, kitchen, bathrooms and roof terrace.

The building is Grade-II listed, meaning special consent has to be given for any major renovations or construction work.

But the applicant warns there is a "risk of irreversible dilapidation" at the property, which has been affected by rain damage "and is in severe need of investment to reinstate the building to beneficial use".

The ground floor of the building was used previously as a shop, while there was office space upstairs.

The new plans include "external restoration" of the building, and "internal restoration including the refurbishment of the ground floor and conversion of the upper floors to a house in multiple occupation".

The applicant says the project, if successful, would "provide a practical, beneficial use for the building through contributing to Newport’s housing stock and reintroducing economic activity within the derelict ground floor, in addition to reinstating some original features which are currently non-existent due to the dilapidated, derelict state of the building".

It sits among a long line of listed buildings that run along Clarence Place from the town bridge to the cenotaph. The area was once a bustling commercial centre on the Usk's eastern bank, but in recent years several commercial properties - including the legendary TJ's club - have closed down and fallen into various degrees of disrepair.

South Wales Argus: Clarence Place in Newport, c.1901.Clarence Place in Newport, c.1901.

Planning documents show "very little original internal features remain" in 10 Clarence Place "due to a number of unsympathetic and unauthorised works that have taken place throughout the years".

"The building has also been subject to significant water damage and lack of maintenance over recent years, meaning irreversible damage to the first- and second floor ceilings and internal walls has occurred," the applicant stated.

If the plans are approved, the developers are "prepared to reinstate numerous original features within the listed building’s interior and exterior".

The applicant is currently seeking listed building consent for the proposal.

The plans, under application number 22/1051, can be viewed online at the Newport City Council website.