FILM fans in Newport will soon be able to enjoy “cosy” movie nights at a new venue in the city centre, after council planners granted planning permission.
Applicant Cosy Cinema has been given the green light to install 15 “pods” on the lower floors of the Chartist Tower, at 1-3 Upper Dock Street, opposite Thge Potters pub.
Each pod measures five metres long by 2.5 metres wide, and can accommodate up to six people for daytime showings of films.
Cosy Cinema has also won permission to provide overnight stays at the pods for up to two adults and a child.
The pods are heated and air conditioned, and will contain a PlayStation games console and access to entertainment streaming services.
The space will also contain six shower and toilet rooms, as well as a laundry and storage area for staff, or “pod keepers”.
The storage area will house supplies for so-called “Cosy Combos” – snacks and fizzy drinks available to buy.
When the plans were revealed last month the Argus reported the business - which already runs a site in Cardiff, had gone viral on TikTok in 2021 after owners John and Sian set up the first pod in their back garden during lockdown.
They said: “We expect Cosy Cinema to become a tourist destination which Newport city centre will benefit from. Seventy per cent of current guests travel from outside the CF postcode. Many have arrived at our Cardiff site having never been to Cardiff before.
"They have seen Cosy Cinema in TikTok and them simply book and take a road trip.
“Having had the chance to view many sites in the last few months, we believe the Newport city centre site best reflects what our guests need. Our guests firstly, love to stream all media, including gaming.
“Secondly we know our guests love to order their favourite foods to their pod. They like to go out for pre-drinks, perhaps a bit of shopping before settling in for a really immersive cinema experience.
"Overnight stays are our biggest seller, but three hour daytime showings continue to grow.
"We hope to open a very unique concept in Newport city centre in early 2024."
Newport City Council planners noted the unit was initially marketed for food and drink use but had “remained vacant” despite the “wider redevelopment” of Chartist Tower, home of the Argus, as well as the four-star Mercure Hotel.
It would therefore be “acceptable in principle” for the unit to be used for leisure or accommodation purposes, the planners said.
Access to the Cosy Cinema will be from Corn Street, planning documents show.
The council planners did raise some concerns about the loss of retail frontage, but judged that “in this instance the benefits of the scheme outweigh the non-compliance”.
Granting planning permission with conditions, they concluded “the proposed development will bring [this] prominent corner unit back into a sustainable use having been vacant for many years”.
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