A DEVELOPMENT of 251 homes in Newport could be given the go-ahead by councillors at a committee meeting tomorrow.

The development on land to the south of Glan Usk Primary School in Herbert Road has already been agreed to in principle but developers are looking to make changes to the application.

Planning officers have recommended approving the application subject to a legal agreement, making developers pay towards leisure and education in the area.

Changes to the application include the addition of two houses, the relocation of units within the site, the loss of one house on the main part of the site and changes to the retaining walls.

The main part of the site consists of a former industrial land.

Gwent Wildlife Trust objects to the development due to the detrimental impact on the River Usk conservation area.

The trust say the site will bring a “much higher level of activity than currently exists nearer to the river which would disturb wildlife.

“The development should be reduced in scale and moved further from the river to give an appropriate buffer between the development and the top of the river bank," the trust added.

Chepstow Friends of the Earth also object to the development on the grounds that the site is on a “hazardous chemical waste tip” adjacent to the conservation area of the river.

As part of the legal agreement the developer will need to make a contribution of £594,797 to St Julian’s High School and £122,000 for play area upgrades at the Glebelands recreation ground and Turner Street playground.

A contribution of £5,000 is also asked for to upgrade an existing signalised junction at Clarence Place.

Residents objecting to the application claim the new houses will be a source of noise, the local highway network is already heavily congested and additional traffic will pose a safety risk to children.