NEWPORT council is applying to secure a major piece of land needed for the city centre redevelopment.

John Frost Square is at the heart of Newport's city centre regeneration. It will form a crucial link between the £150 million Modus Corovest retail scheme and the £20 million Kingsway scheme.

The square and its surrounding area is due to be transformed over the next three years.

Now that large area of land is to be bought up by the council under compulsory purchase order. The area of land in question is bordered by Kingsway, Corn Street, Commercial Street, Llanarth Street, Kear Court, Emlyn Walk and Usk Way.

Everything in that space will be affected by the order, including shops, offices, car parks, the bus station, roads, cafs, street vendors' stalls, the existing Kingsway Centre and pedestrian areas, as well as the canopies of Newport Library, Museum and Art Gallery.

The council will now submit the compulsory purchase order to the Assembly.

If confirmed, work can be carried out on the necessary roads and development schemes.

The Modus scheme includes new shops, including a flagship national department store, restaurants, bars, a health club, multi-screen cinema, residental flats in a high-rise tower block, a riverside hotel and a remodelled bus station.

Developers hope to start work early next year and aim to have the centre open by 2009.

The Kingsway Centre is to be redeveloped under a different scheme to include the refurbishment of the internal malls, new entrances and a new glazed central square, along with a new food court and a 55,000 sq ft anchor store and retail units on John Frost Square.

This work is due to start in June, and is scheduled to be completed by summer 2007.