Plans submitted for 200 more family homes at former mining site east of Edinburgh

The planning application marks the latest phase of development at Blindwells, which lies to the north of Tranent close to the A1 road, some ten miles east of Edinburgh.

If the application for 197 homes is approved by East Lothian Council, construction work could begin in late 2021, potentially creating upwards of 600 construction and supply chain jobs and “pumping hundreds of thousands of pounds annually into the local economy”.

Persimmon’s plans incorporate proposals for a mix of 167 two, three and four bedroomed two-storey houses, as well as the development of 30 affordable properties on the site.

An indicative illustration of the new homes proposed for the Blindwells development in East Lothian.

Earlier this year, Bellway commenced the development of its Prince’s Gate scheme at Blindwells and Cruden is making progress on the construction of 60 affordable homes on behalf of the local council.

Redevelopment of the 390-acre former open-cast mine site will eventually see the construction of a new primary school and village amenities.

The developer behind the Blindwells project, Hargreaves Land, will be installing a number of vehicle charge points by spring 2022 to meet the growing levels of electric car ownership.

Bruce Lindsay, development director at Hargreaves Land, said: “We are committed to creating a development that meets the needs of the local community and delivers exceptional high-quality homes for East Lothian, offering a wide choice of properties for people to live in.”

A Persimmon Homes’ East Scotland spokesperson added: “We hope to secure planning consent in the autumn and start on site shortly thereafter.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription: www.scotsman.com/subscriptions