A new block of 20 apartments will be built in the Gaer area of Newport, providing affordable housing.

The city council’s planning committee has granted permission for the development of a brownfield site off Marryat Walk.

Some residents had raised concerns about parking pressures and the possible presence of asbestos and Japanese knotweed on the site.

But Stephen Williams, the council’s west area development manager, said the local authority would impose conditions on the planning permission, compelling the developer to safely clear any problem materials.

He told the committee that officers “haven’t got any evidence that there’s any asbestos in the site” but would wait for a specialist to provide a report.

Committee member Cllr Stephen Cocks noted a resident’s comment that the site “is full of Japanese knotweed” – an invasive species which is difficult to control and clear.

One neighbour who responded to the consultation on the proposed development said the plant had “always been a major issue and impacts on all residents” in the area.

Mr Williams told the meeting the developer will have to “come up with a scheme to remove” any non-native invasive species from the site before building work begins.

In their report to the committee, planning officers said the land was “previously developed” and would fit in with the council’s policy on brownfield sites.

They said the new affordable apartments would also “contribute toward the provision of a range of housing stock within an existing built-up area”.

The developer will also build a car park with a space for each new apartment, and some spaces will include electric vehicle charging points.

The committee members unanimously approved the application for planning permission.