RESIDENTS welcomed regeneration plans for the Ringland area of Newport at a consultation event yesterday.

It follows the news Newport City Homes wants to make Ringland an “attractive, vibrant and modern” community earlier this week.

Ringland Centre and Cot Farm will be at the heart of the new multi-million pound regeneration scheme, with residents now invited to officially have their say.

Jackie Hall, of Ringland Centre, was one of those at the event.

The 56-year-old said: “I think it is going to be very nice when it is completed.

“If the properties have a garden, I will try to get one. I have a German Shepherd and I think it is time he has a garden.”

NCH regeneration and partnership coordinator Solitaire Pritchard said they had “many” residents attend, including young people who wanted to find out whether apprenticeships would be available during the construction.

Ms Pritchard said that under the plans 58 new houses would be built in Cot Farm.

Some of them would be houses, with others being flats.

She said that some of them will have a flat at the bottom, and a two bedroom property above.

Rachel George, head of development at NCH, said there will be an emphasis on high quality homes, with the flats having a balcony and “good storage”.

Ms George added: “In terms of the design, what we have done previously is ask residents to comment on the style of the properties they would like.

“Our architects have been using that feedback when developing the plans.”

She also said the properties would likely include a lot of windows and brick.

Ms George said: “The community are the ones who are going to live here and it is important for them to be able to shape the area.

“They may pick up on things that we don’t know about.”

As previously reported in the Argus, work will begin first on the Cot Farm site, and then move to Ringland Centre.

“We want to start the work soon to show that we are committed to the area,” Ms Pritchard added.

She re-iterated the housing association is also looking at how to improve the commercial area.

She said: “We know it is well used, some people used two or more times day.

“Speaking with businesses, they tell us they would like to have greater visibility – to be more outward facing.”

In a separate initiative, NCH announced it is investing £7.9 million in the Pill area of Newport as part of a regeneration scheme to fight anti-social behaviour and crime earlier this year.