Former Newport Red Cross Headquarters Could Become Vet Surgery

An Isle of Wight vets that has gone from “strength to strength” could have a new home.

Wight Vets has applied for planning permission to turn Red Cross House, a vacant former British Red Cross headquarters on Hunnycross Way in Newport, into a veterinary surgery.

The firm’s application includes ‘minor external alterations’ to the existing premises as well as a ‘complete internal fit-out’, according to a Design and Access Statement written by Goolden Designs LLP.

It says:

“The previous use of the premises was the Red Cross Headquarters…they vacated the site in May 2024.

"My client saw a unique opportunity to occupy these premises to safeguard their business’s future within Newport.

“Since 2022 their business (Wight Vets) has gone from strength to strength.

"My clients made a bold move to purchase these premises when they came on the market in May 2024 after an extensive searching of the area for a suitable property that not only can house their immediate needs but that of the future and be in a position that is accessible to all their clients.

“The existing business will transfer over to these new premises with their existing staff members once the conversion works are completed and, in the future, will as standard offer local employment for trained veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses together with support staff as demand arises for further staff.”

Wight Vets’s current clinic is at 15 Chapel Street in Newport.

The council’s public consultation on proposal 25/00704/FUL closes on June 20 and a decision is due on July 10.