PLANS for the development of a former Newport school are being finalised according to site owner, Linc-Cymru.

Staff and pupils from the old Durham Road Primary School, moved to the purpose-build Glan Usk Primary School at the end of last year, almost a decade after the old school building was deemed unfit for purpose.

Housing association, Linc-Cymru bought the site in February this year and has been working on a scheme for the site.

A Linc-Cymru spokesman said: “We are currently finalising a planning application for a residential development which we anticipate submitting towards the end of June.”

The group already has several projects in the Newport area, including the regeneration of the Lysaght Institute site in Lliswerry, which will see the creation of 180 affordable homes for rent or sale, funded and developed by Linc-Cymru, a new Morrisons supermarket, and the refurbishment of the iconic Lysaght Institute.

Plans for the proposed £50million regeneration project went on display during two public exhibitions last month, to give members of the public a chance to see the plans in detail.

The group intends to use the institute for community enterprises and develop it as a focal point for the community as a whole.

The housing association already has well-established links with the city through its extraCare schemes and a new state-of-the-art nursing home.

St Julians ward member Cllr Ed Townsend welcomed Linc-Cymru’s purchase of the site and described the housing association as a “good honourable organisation.”