MORE than 40 former prefabs residents in Newport have now moved into their new bungalows.

The post-war prefabs had been deemed 'beyond economic repair' and Newport council sold the properties to Newport Housing Trust for £1 after a majority of residents voted in favour in 1999.

Phil Toms, director of Newport Housing Trust, said they were "very much on target" to build the 550 replacement bungalows by the end of summer 2005.

Mr Toms said that 157 new bungalows were now either under construction or completed. "By Christmas we expect to have started another 90," he said. "Virtually 250 will be either completed or under construction by Christmas.

"We are still very much on target. We were ahead of target in January, but slipped slightly behind because of the bad weather in March."

More than 20 mobile homes were recently delivered to the Gaer where the first phase of replacing prefabs with bungalows on that estate - which had been due to begin a year ago - has now started.

Residents will be able to stay in these mobile homes while they wait for their new bungalows to be completed, if they so choose.

Work on the new homes began a year ago last March and the schedule for completion across the seven estates is:

Stelvio Park is due to be completed during the first quarter of 2003; Ridgeway is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2005; Gaer is due to be completed by the end of June 2005; Clevedon/Archibald is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2004; Brynglas is due to be completed in the second quarter of 2004; Bishpool is due to be completed in the third quarter of 2004; Treberth is due to be completed last, during the third quarter of 2005.