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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Ryan O'Neill

Planning granted for taxi dispatch office in Newport residential area despite objections

Planning has been granted for a taxi dispatch office in a busy residential area of Newport despite nearly 50 objections.

Newport council gave the go ahead on Monday, February 1, for a taxi dispatch office on Oak Street in St Julians.

In December, 20 residents in the area objected to the proposals, saying they were "completely inappropriate" and citing already existing issues with traffic from the nearby school and difficulty parking for residents.

One resident Amy Reeves told WalesOnline at the time that residents often had issues parking or driving due to the nearby Glan Usk Primary School, doctors' surgery and local pharmacy.

But permission has now been granted with conditions after planning officials ruled there would be no disruption to residents as a result of the plans.

45 letters of objection were received in total.

In its planning recommendation, the council said that although public parking could not be controlled by the planning authority, the applicant "has confirmed that no other taxis/vehicles will be parked at the application site besides their own vehicle."

It said taxi drivers would receive their pick up contact remotely and would not have to drive to the dispatch office to deposit or collect payments.

It added that "in rare cases, one driver may visit the site for a 5-10 minute period to visit the applicant" but said this was "considered to be comparable to normal visits" to any house in the area.

The proposal has been granted as it was deemed it would "not have a detrimental impact on the residential character and appearance of the surrounding area" and would "not result in an increase in parking demand or traffic movements" in the area.

The hours of operation of the dispatch call office are restricted to between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, and at no times on Saturdays, Sundays, Bank or Public Holidays.

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