Dozens of seniors joined Premier Ewart Brown yesterday for a tour of a plush new affordable housing complex for old folk.

Dr. Brown heard how the $12.5 million Rockaway development, which will boast 100 badly needed one-bedroom units, was still on target to be completed next July.

The complex got the thumbs-up from the Premier ? and from seniors who joined him on the walk around the Bermuda Housing Trust project.

Ground was broken at the Southampton site in April.

And with work on schedule and units sprouting up all over the site, developers predict that just over 50 residents will be able to move into their new apartments by the end of March, when two large multi-storey pods are completed.

Dr. Brown said the development, handy for the fast ferry and bus links, was "living proof that when Bermudians decide to get things done, they can do it in record time".

He said the new units, and the new rest home at St. George's, were "very timely" given the projected boom in the Island's grey population predicted in future years.

"We are very proud of the Housing Trust," added the Premier, who stated that in first quarter of next year people will see "concrete evidence" of Government's commitment to housing.

Seniors bussed in from trust housing elsewhere on the Island were yesterday unanimous in their praise for the new accommodation, where it is understood rents are expected to be in the region of $850 a month.

Patsy Bruun, currently living at Elizabeth Hills, Pembroke, said she was keeping her fingers crossed that she secured a Rockaway place.

As she toured the spacious kitchen before moving on to view the bathroom and bedroom, Mrs. Bruun, 71, said: "I'm all by myself, so this is plenty big enough for me."

The asthma sufferer said she was pinning her hopes on a room above ground level, so she could get more privacy and enjoy a sea breeze to help her breathing.

She added: "I'm pleased Government is putting homes up for seniors."

June Bassett, 66, said the units were "wonderful" and stated: "I'm surprised they went up so fast."

Another vistor, aged 65, said she was currently living at a private home where her monthly rent was $1,300. "I'm looking forward to moving here where the rents are more reasonable."

More than 50 trust tenants were at Rockaway yesterday afternoon for the "awareness day". Officials said not all will get a place there, although many probably will.

Trevor Fyfe, overseeing the project for the trust, said the speed at which the units were being built would be hailed a major achievement in any country in the world.

As the project took shape, he recalled how a team of up to 35 workmen had to combat unstable soil conditions while removing trees and the remains of an old hospital at the former woodland site, which stood unused for decades.

The project ? using an innovative hurricane and earthquake-proof panel system ? will be completed in phases, or pods, with each pod taking three months to complete.

The four main pods have a total of 96 units and a smaller structure will house four further units.

Each pod is self-sufficient and consists of four, three-storey buildings that circle a central staircase and elevator.

The development has been backed by a $2.5 million donation, and a favourable loan from the Bank of Bermuda.