New housing in Midlothian dubbed 'Legoland bland'

Old Craighall Road, in Midlothian, will be closed for 12 weeks.

Plans to close a busy road next to the Edinburgh bypass for three months have sparked anger among local residents over ‘Lego land bland’ housing.

A decision has been made to shut Old Craighall Road and divert traffic for a 12 week period later this year.

The council says the closure, which is due to begin on September 6, will allow developer Cala to carry out upgrading work on the road as part of a new 620-home development planned for land at Newton and Wellington Farms located between Old Craighall and Millerhill.

But anger over plans to shut the road for so long has seen fed up locals take to social media to criticise the proposals, saying the Midlothian countryside is being turned into a ‘sea of Lego land bland houses’ and a ‘disaster zone’.

Midlothian Council is now holding a public meeting along with developers Cala to address concerns about the road closure.

They say the improvements to the road will include a new bus park and ride that will cater for commuters travelling from Midlothian and East Lothian into Edinburgh as well as a “spine road through the heart of the development that will connect Millerhill to the city bypass and the A68, allowing locals to bypass the busy Sheriffhall Junction”.

However, news of the closure saw locals react on social media with anger.

One Facebook user said the council should change its ‘leaf’ logo, adding “just replace it with a pile of bricks. Soon there will be no trees left.”

Another added: “Bye bye greenfield. Hello habitat loss and the need to import more food to feed the population.”

While one resident said: “There was a great opportunity to create a new town at Shawfair with open spaces and character. Now, it’s just a sea of Lego land new bland houses.”

Announcing plans for the public meeting Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for roads, Councillor Dianne Alexander urged people to attend and hear the proposals.

She said: “We’ll work with Cala to keep disruption to a minimum and share progress updates.

“Come along to the meeting where Cala representatives will be explaining more about the project and our staff can answer any council-related questions.”

The public meeting is being held in Danderhall Community Hub on Thursday, August 10 from 6pm to 8pm.