Plans for three Midlothian homes on grazing field rejected after objections

Plans to build three new homes on a grazing field on the edge of a community have been rejected after locals objected to the loss of countryside.

Applicant WM Inverkeithing Ltd argued the land at Polton, Lasswade, was a vacant brownfield site which could be used to help Midlothian’s housing crisis.

However objectors argued it was on the green belt and raised concerns that a transport statement lodged with the plans referred to the new homes as ‘holiday chalets’.

Planning officers rejected the plans for two four-bedroom houses and one three-bedroom home on the land after ruling it was a green field and there was no justification for building residences on it.

Refusing planning permission they said: “The dwellings would not be necessary to agriculture, horticulture or forestry.

“Equally, the dwellings are not required in order to provide opportunities for access to the open countryside, nor are they related to other uses appropriate to the rural character of the area, for essential infrastructure or part of a development that meets a national requirement.”

The applicants had argued the site was brownfield adding: “The application site presents a suitable, vacant site presently occupied by buildings that can assist the council in the provision of a small, appropriate pockets of infill on brownfield land that are well designed and that contribute to the range and choice of housing available within Midlothian.

“At a point in time when the council is presented with a challenge from the Scottish Government to allocate more land for housing smaller sites can contribute positively to this, where appropriate.”

In total 15 objections were lodged with planners with Lasswade District Civic Society pointing out the site lay not only in the Green Belt but also partly in North Esk Valley Special Landscape area and the Mavisbank Conservation area.

The society added that while the applications had suggested the housing emergency would be supported by the new homes ” the transport statement included in the application states that the intended use is ‘holiday chalets’.”

They said: “This renders the already very tenuous statement about this being a response to the call for more homes to be built completely nullified.”