2,000 homes to be built on West Lothian chicken farm
Up to 2,000 new homes are to be built on the current site of a West Lothian chicken farm.
The “Drumshoreland Garden Community” will be built on the Clapperton poultry farm complex east of Livingston, an area currently occupied by surplus land and six ageing poultry sheds.
Agriculture firm Amber REI, which owns the site, hopes to generate more than £100 million from the development to invest back into its farming operations in the Lothians, while addressing historic housing shortages in West Lothian.
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Hide AdThe work will be carried out by a sister firm of Amber REI, Elan Homes.
The mixed-use development will include education and community facilities, as well as up to 2,000 homes, 500 of which will be affordable homes.
The houses will range in style, size, and tenure.
The firm aims to create a “20-minute neighbourhood”, in which residents can meet most of their essential needs within a 20 minute walk, as outlined by the Scottish Government in “Protecting Scotland, Renewing Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2020-2021”.
The development will also focus on “state-of-the-art” low-carbon facilities, and will offer residents easy access to green space and local environment which “encourages active travel to promote health and well‑being”.
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Hide AdRevenue from the development will be used by Amber REI to upgrade its existing feed mill at Edinburgh Airport and add a new feed mill around the Firth of Forth.
It will also invest in new farming space in West Lothian.
Amber REI is controlled by Ranjit Boparan, the West Midlands millionaire often referred to as the “chicken king” and co-owner of 2 sisters food group, the largest food company in the UK by turnover.
Mr Boparan also owns a string of other food companies and restaurants, including FishWorks, Harry Ramsden’s and the Giraffe Restaurants chain.
Two Proposal of Application Notices (PAN) for planning permission in principle (PPiP) for the Drumshoreland development have been submitted to West Lothian Council.
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Hide AdThese PANs formally note that planning applications will be submitted in due course to establish the principle of development on the site.
A PPiP application will be submitted covering the wider site and the other PPiP will cover an area of land located within the wider site.
A spokesperson for Amber REI said: “We are delighted these exciting proposals are being bought forward and that they will deliver significant investment not only in West Lothian but across Scotland as a whole.
“As an exemplar low carbon community Drumshoreland will not only deliver much-needed housing, including affordable housing, but employment, education and community facilities.
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Hide Ad"It will also deliver significant post-COVID investment into the poultry processing supply chain across Scotland, creating jobs, both directly and indirectly, as well as delivering a low carbon future for the agriculture sector.
This new sustainable neighbourhood will not only help to meet the housing needs of both this and future generations, it will also deliver a clear investment legacy across Scotland.”
It comes after work began last week on the £1 billion Winchburgh development seven miles from Edinburgh Airport in West Lothian, which will deliver at least 3,800 new homes, including 75 affordable houses and 450 houses for social rent.