Bid to build sustainable cottage from logs in East Lothian orchard rejected

A bid to build a sustainable cottage from logs in a garden orchard has been rejected by East Lothian planners who said it would contribute nothing to local living.

The plans lodged by Norma and Jon Turvill for a new home at Spittalrigg, outside Haddington, involved creating a home from locally sourced Scottish timber, described as a ‘post and beam dwelling’.

However planners said the house would be on orchard land and was against council policy as a new build in the countryside.

The applicants had argued the house would ‘nestle’ into its surroundings with no mature trees lost in the build.

They pointed to using Caledonian Log Homes to create a sustainable property with local materials with the company stating they “hand-select our building materials in local forests prior to felling” adding “the logs are then brought into the yard where the house is built.”

Two objections to the application were lodged with claims an historic link between existing residential properties and the orchard garden ground would be lost if the house went ahead.

There were also concerns about the impact on wildlife in the area and precedent it might set for more homes on the rural area.

Planners pointed to a lack of public transport and facilities close to the site as additional concerns.

They refused planning permission, saying it did not meet the exceptions to the new countryside housing policy, which include a home linked to agriculture or providing affordable housing.

Refusing permission for the house, planners said: “The proposed new house would not be located in a sustainable location or within a 20-minute neighbourhood and would not contribute to local living within an existing settlement.

“Consequently, it would result in an increased number of non-public transport journeys at a time when the Scottish Government is requiring a reduction in private car use to help combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions “