2 weeks Ago
A 24-hour taxi dispatch hub could be set up in Newport. A planning application has been put forward for a taxi office to operate 24/7 on Commercial Road, Newport. The application proposes to change the ground floor of 130 Commercial Road into a remote dispatch hub for private hire vehicles.
The office would not be open to the public and would not have a waiting area or a place for drivers to gather. Noise levels inside are expected to be between 40 and 45 decibels during the day, and below 40 decibels at night. Measures such as soundproofing panels, carpets, and keeping doors and windows closed will be used to control noise.
The office is already operating as a dispatch office with limited hours, from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, and provides home-to-school transport. Neighbours have been consulted, with no objections raised, and the licensing department has shown support for the proposal. The site is within a flood zone, but Natural Resources Wales has raised no objections, although it has recommended the use of resilience measures.
The application has clarified that the taxi office setup will be similar to other approved operations, such as Prime Travel Solutions. Drivers will only visit briefly, around 10 minutes, for payment or compliance, and only one driver will be present at a time. The payment system will involve invoices to .
A comment from one neighbour raised concerns about the public nature of the proposed office, questioning if it will be a place for the public to attend and wait for their service. Parking concerns were also mentioned, noting that there are no parking spaces on Commercial Road by the property, and that a large number of taxis already park there for longer than an hour. The application is still awaiting a final decision from the council.
The decision letter, dated April 2, states that Natural Resources Wales has no objection to the proposal. It advises the inclusion of flood resilience measures such as barriers and raised sockets. The letter also mentions that there are no comments on protected species unless bats are identified, and that the developer should manage pollution risks during construction.
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