WORK on a long-awaited Newport primary school should start within a month.

Plans to build 153 homes, park areas and junior and infants schools on the Glebelands site in Newport have a 15-year history of delays.

Now most of the final constraints on developers are gone, although negotiations over construction traffic access are still under way.

But while the council described this week's planning meeting as the last hurdle, campaigners who have fought the scheme for over 15 years said it was "their last chance to convince the council the development was unacceptable".

Some 20 local residents and objectors attended the meeting and the council received 270 pro-formas and several letters opposing the development.

After the meeting, John Martin, a leading opponent of the scheme said: "I am bitterly disappointed and extremely angry this was allowed to go through.

'It has been a long fight over the last 15 years." Changes to flood prevention arrangements, archeological safeguards and noise levels were passed with few problems.

But residents still had fears about site contamination and construction traffic.

Ward councillor Ed Townsend raised concerns that decisions should not be rushed just because time is running out.

Work must start on the site before May 19 otherwise planning consent will run out and planning applications will need to be resubmitted.

Councillor Townsend said: "A better decision would have been putting the school at the non-contaminated end of the site, but that is a battle that is already lost."

A formal monitoring of contamination at the site will be set up by the council to reassure concerned residents and ensure safety.

The only change not approved by committee was the final construction traffic route. Alternative suggestions from the ward councillors will now be considered by the developers.

When agreement on the routes is reached, the last condition can be discharged without going before committee and construction work will begin.