Planned parking schemes for four more East Lothian towns on hold

Plans to introduce parking charges in four East Lothian towns have been put on hold until a full review of the impact of the scheme in North Berwick has been completed.

East Lothian councillors approved the independent review of the North Berwick scheme on Tuesday which came into effect in June this year.

But a report on the council’s finances for the year ahead revealed that it was unlikely funding would be available to progress the scheme into other towns.

Now a spokesperson for East Lothian Council has confirmed work to introduce Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) which would need to be in place before parking charges could be introduced in Dunbar, Musselburgh, Tranent and Haddington, will not even begin until the review findings have been considered ’in detail’.

They said: “At a meeting in December 2025, council agreed that parking management proposals for Tranent, Dunbar, Haddington and Musselburgh should progress to the next stage of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) process.

“However, no TROs will be brought forward on these proposals until the findings and recommendations in the independent review of North Berwick’s parking management scheme are considered in detail. The review, which was commissioned by council at their meeting on Tuesday, 25 August, is scheduled to be completed in June 2027.”

At the council meeting in December, where councillors were confronted by protestors shouting and blowing horns outside chambers in Haddington, a call by the SNP group for the TROs to be delayed until a review of the North Berwick scheme’s first year of operation had been produced, was dismissed by the Labour administration.

Councillor Lyn Jardine, SNP group leader, welcomed the change in position.

She said: “The SNP group’s concern has always been about the strength of the evidence base underpinning proposals for parking management measures in East Lothian.

“Our amendment in December was designed to ensure the council fully assessed the impact of the North Berwick scheme before considering whether similar measures may be appropriate elsewhere. We believed then, as we do now, that decisions of this significance should be guided by evidence and experience rather than assumptions.

“Every town in East Lothian has its own character, economy and travel patterns. What may be appropriate in one community cannot simply be assumed to be appropriate in another. That is why it is essential that the council takes the time to evaluate the outcomes in North Berwick, listen to residents, businesses and visitors, and properly understand the implications before making any decisions about future parking management proposals.

“Some dismissed our proposal as a delaying tactic, but it was always about ensuring that the council got these decisions right. We welcome the fact that the council has now adopted a more cautious and evidence-led approach, which is broadly in line with the position the SNP Group argued for in December. The purpose of the review should not be to justify a predetermined outcome, but to establish what lessons can be learned and whether any further action is required.”

East Lothian MSP Paul McLennan, SNP, who has opposed the introduction of the charges from the start also welcomed the decision.

He said: “The consultation process cost nearly £1m , and has resulted in the public in East Lothian losing faith in the council’s ability to work with them.

“I would urge the council to pause the scheme in North Berwick and engage with the community council and traders.”

The independent review approved at this week’s meeting will cost an estimated £66,000 and will be carried out by the University of Glasgow.

It will report back to the council in June next year.