RESIDENTS living along the route to be used by construction traffic for a new Newport school are now likely to face less disruption than they expected.

Five hundred lorries per week were expected at periods while work was carried out at the Glebelands to build the long-awaited replacement for Durham Road School.

Planning permission was given for the new school and homes in April 2006 despite fierce opposition which mostly centred around the safety of the site which once housed a tip.

Atkins applied to partially alter one of the many conditions imposed by the council.

It was thought that significant amounts of "fill" material would be needed to speed settlement of the land for the residential development.

But it was now proposed to phase the work and the slower pace would not require either addition material to be taken to the site or the surplus to be taken away.

The number of lorries will fall to 255 during some weeks and also rising to 375 at the peak.

It was stressed there would be no difference in the size of the vehicles.

"One letter has been received objecting because the council has not consulted the residents in St Julians," said an officers' report.

But it added that consultation had gone far beyond what was normally carried out for such an application.

Glebelands Action Group and two representatives of local residents were consulted, site notices were put up and it was advertised in this paper.

Hundreds of people also received a newsletter which made reference to the application.

Planning officer Mark Hand said the changes appeared to be sensible and would have less impact on the residents.

In other situations, a developer may not have made such an application but this was likely to be heavily scrutinised.

"Officers and developers are keen everything goes through the right procedures," said Mr Hand.