Councillors give green light to East Lothian new town

Work building a new town in East Lothian will begin early next year after councillors approved the first phase of houses.

Blindwells, next to the A1, is a site near Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton.

Plans for 1,600 houses makes Blindwells one of the largest residential developments to be given the go-ahead in Scotland in recent years.

Developers are planning 480 affordable homes on the site.

The proposals include a mix of uses including 25 acres of employment land that will bring more than 100 jobs to Blindwells, a new primary school, and in the longer term a High School, a new park and ride, a site for a new rail halt, playing fields and more than 10 miles of paths through the parkland and open space.

Hargreaves, which owns the site, has been working on the project with East Lothian Council since 2013.

Iain Slater, development and estates director for Hargreaves, said: "We are obviously delighted that East Lothian Council has approved our application and we look forward to starting the construction work soon.

"I would like to thank East Lothian Council for its co-operation in helping realise the original vision for a new community at Blindwells.

"East Lothian is one of the most attractive places to live in the UK, and Hargreaves has worked hard to ensure that we create a high quality new community of which the council and residents can be proud."

Long term plans for the site include 3,200 homes built over 15 years.