West Lothian teen raises petition to save otter habitat from housing developers

A local teenager fighting plans for a development on a river bank site that would destroy the homes of otters and other wildlife has collected more than 1,100 signatures of support.

Robertson Homes has already lodged an appeal just weeks after West Lothian Council refused planning permission for the site in New Calder Mill Road in the conservation village.

A petition opposing any development of the site has now been started by 15-year-old Lucy Joseph, who said she is “deeply concerned about the wildlife” in her community.

Robertson has sought outline planning permission to squeeze 125 homes onto a field on the south bank of the River Almond on land to the east of the busy Lizzie Brice Roundabout.

The land is open country with a line of mature trees and slopes gently down to a stretch of the Almond.

The appeal was lodged with the Division of Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) within weeks of permission being refused by local councillors.

The DPEA recently gave the green light to build more than 100 homes on open country between East Whitburn and Whitburn and also overturned the council’s rejection of a massive expansion of the Glen Turner distillery maturation plant

Lucy lodged a petition on the Change.org website which rapidly gained more than 1,000 signatures.

On her petition page she said: “We already have witnessed how over-development has destroyed wildlife and green space in East Calder. Fields in neighbouring villages have lost animals’ habitats, destroyed trees, and have departed animals due to lack of vegetation and have lost hedgerows. This is causing a massive strain on our infrastructure and with any introduction of any more housing, we will be at breaking point.”

The planning application faced more than 50 objections including the village community council , as well as neighbouring Howden Community Council when it came before West Lothian Council in mid February.

Many villagers fear the loss of habitat for otters, deer and other wildlife which call the 17 acre field home. There are also concerns that the village infrastructure such as roads and services such as GPs cannot cope with any more development.

You can sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/p/the-scottish-parliament-help-save-mid-calder-s-field-from-development

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.