THE site of a former Newport garden centre could be replaced with 60 new homes if a planning application gets the go-ahead.

Bellway Homes South Wales and Red-190 Limited have applied to Newport City Council to build the houses on the site of the former Hurrans Garden Centre in Langstone.

The garden centre closed in January last year which saw the loss of 25 jobs and the centre has now been demolished.

The housing developers want permission to build 60 houses, which will mainly be two storeys high, and 12 of which will be affordable housing run by a social landlord.

Officers have recommended for the application to be granted by the council’s planning committee when it meets on Wednesday but with certain conditions.

This includes dealing with issues which have been raised by neighbours.

For example, officers have advised that the company pay a £206,438 contribution towards secondary education as there are no spare places at nearby Caerleon Comprehensive School.

Neighbours also said there was no state nursery in Langstone, the area's playgroup already has to share the village hall with other groups and primary and infant schools are filling up.

The council’s head of continuing learning and leisure has confirmed there is a shortfall in play space in Langstone and so the developers would have to pay £366,354.67 which would be used towards maintaining a new play area on the site and for the repair and upkeep of the play facilities in nearby Grenadier Drive.

In the 54 letters of objection from neighbours, some had concerns about the increase in traffic onto the A48 and Coldra roundabout and about the already lack of facilities such as shops, post office and community centre, for residents.

There was also concerns about the proposed alterations to Catsash Road leading to an accident black spot being created on a road already described as a rat run.

Some raised the problem of flooding in the area and Welsh Water agreed that the proposed development would overload the existing public sewerage system.

But it said improvements to this system are planned to be completed by October 31 and so work could start after this date.

Langstone community council objected to the application on some similar grounds and also because of the lack of community consultation.