Go-ahead for 500-home steelworks housing scheme

A development of more than 500 homes on the site of the former Whiteheads steelworks in Newport has moved closer with plans for the scheme given the green light.The Whiteheads Development Company, part of the Tirion Group, was awarded consent for the 42-acre site of the former Whiteheads steelworks in the Pillgwenlly area of the city by Newport City Council on Wednesday (6 September 2017).The decision is in line with a recommendation in a planning officer’s report prepared for the meeting.It proposals include 529 new residential properties, of which 265 would be affordable housing, together with 24 assisted living units.A pub/restaurant, retail units, community facilities and highways infrastructure are also included in the development. It has been estimated that the scheme will generate £70m of direct investment and £200m of added value (GDP) in the local economy, as well as 800 construction jobs and 400 supply chain jobs.A £2.14m contribution will be made to the new school made up of the gift of the remediated site, plus financial support.Remediation of the site was completed in January 2017 by civil engineering company Walters and construction is now expected to begin in the coming months with the first houses available by summer 2018.