A CONTROVERSIAL new hotel and car park were given the go-ahead in a shock move by Newport councillors.

Earlier this week the Argus reported on a furious row between council bosses and Esterkin Properties over plans to shelve their proposals to transform the former Queen's School site in Stow Hill.

But a meeting of Newport council's planning committee yesterday overruled a recommendation to reject the application and gave developers the green light to start work.

Listing building consent was also given to demolish the buildings currently on the site being used as offices.

The company plans to build a Travelodge and car park at the former school, creating 50 jobs and breathing new life into a Newport city centre eyesore which has stood empty for 15 years.

A spokesman for Esterkin Properties told the Argus they were delighted by the decision.

He said: "This is a valid and appropriate scheme and we have been convinced of that all along.

"We are very pleased that the councillors are in agreement with us." He added that work would start on the site "as soon as possible" and was hoped to be completed next year.

Developers say the scheme will provide a 57-bed Travelodge and 115 much-needed car parking for the city at a time when it is set to lose nearly 1,000 spaces because of redevelopment elsewhere.

They also claim the hotel is much-needed, particularly in light of the thousands of visitors due to descend on the city for golf's 2010 Ryder Cup.

Esterkin submitted its planning application for the hotel in July last year and had been frustrated by council planning officials, who the company claimed had been dragging their feet.

Miqdad Al-Nuaimi, chairman of the council's planning committee said: "There was strong support for the development from the planning committee.

"The feeling was that this was a credible scheme. There were reservations about some design aspects, but they felt the scheme as a whole was acceptable."

He added that the chance to get rid of a derelict site, provide parking spaces at a time when city centre redevelopment would restrict availability elsewhere and the impending Ryder Cup all played a part in the decision.