Residents worried about the effects of a 30-year development plan on their neighbourhood are to be invited to a series of "meet the experts'' sessions.

Backers of the huge project to regenerate the old US Naval Base at Southside, St. David's are planning the public meetings for the New Year.

Directors of a US-based waste firm are to be invited to Bermuda to explain their plans for a composting operation.

And the Bermuda Land Development Company is also fixing question and answer sessions with other organisations who want to build on the site.

BLDC spokesman Don Grearson said top executives from New Hampshire-based Bioferm were being encouraged to meet St. David's residents.

He said local people wanted to ask officials how they were planning their facility to create soil out of compost waste.

Mr. Grearson added: "This is simply part of our ongoing effort. We are meeting with St. David's residents and we are going to continue doing that into the New Year.

"We want Bioferm to come in to field questions directly from the public.

"We have committed to St. David's residents that this company will come back and respond to their concerns and we're hoping to arrange that meeting as soon as possible.'' The plan for Southside includes shipping Hamilton's container docks to the site, renovating and leasing 54 former officers' quarters as houses, opening a new Business Enterprize Park and preserving 117 acres of open space.

The multi-million-dollar scheme, which could also see Bermuda's fifth cinema operate in the old Navy theatre, includes a St. David's village plaza and opening Corregidor Avenue to traffic.

Mr. Grearson added: "We are calling in people with development proposals on different areas of the site and introducing them to the residents.

"People are concerned about housing costs, the numbers of people coming into the area and what our other plans are for the actual site in terms of redevelopment and landscaping.

"We want to keep the local residents up to date every step of the way.'' Former St. George's Mayor Henry Hayward, who represents local residents' groups, said: "We are looking forward to the meetings.

"There is a group of us in regular touch with the Bermuda Land Development Company on issues like the compost plans.

"We are carrying on a dialogue with them to make sure we know exactly what's going on.

"The problem is that we are not sure ourselves what some of these development ideas entail and we would like certain reassurances on some issues.'' GOVERNMENT GVT ENVIRONMENT ENV