A LENGTHY battle to convert a 200-year-old building into eight flats has ended in refusal.

East Lothian Council has turned down a bid to transform the Assembly Rooms – 14 years after plans were submitted.

Eight flats were proposed for the Church Street site but planners have deemed there is “insufficient space within the curtilage of the application site to provide the eight parking spaces”.

Documents submitted with A A Williamson Ltd’s plans noted: “This is a key area of Dunbar Conservation Area and the historic Assembly Rooms building that dates from circa 1820 is an important historic building reflecting Dunbar’s close associations with its agricultural hinterland.

“The upper floors of the building have been vacant for approximately 25 years and the building has been on the Buildings at Risk register for Scotland for over 20 years.

“The building is identified in the East Lothian Council Dunbar Conservation Area Management Plan as a development opportunity and part of the land to the rear of the Assembly Rooms and the Coastguard site are identified development opportunities.

“The Assembly Rooms occupied the upper floors of the building and is in separate private ownership from three basement flats all of which are also privately owned.”

According to the planning officer’s report, Dunbar Community Council had been keen to see the building’s future secured but highlighted problems with parking.

Pippa Swan, chairwoman of the community council, said: “I’m really pleased it has been refused.

“It seems completely wrong to me that a planning application can be sitting in the system for more than a decade.

“Designs are completely outdated; the system has failed.”

The refusal is the latest in a number of planning applications which date back to the mid-1990s.

In 1994, planning permission was granted to convert the Assembly Rooms into nine flats, with 12 flats to be built in a new block on the Coastguard site.

That planning permission lapsed and earlier this year a separate planning application for a car park on the coastguard site was also turned down.

The newly turned down proposals had attracted both opposition and support.

Concerns included the lack of parking as well as the impact on the value of neighbouring properties, while those backing the scheme said that the building would become even more of an eyesore if the development did not take place.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, who represents the Dunbar and East Linton ward and chairs the local authority’s planning committee, said the issue focused around parking.

He said: “As the application stands, it cannot be approved because there is no parking available within that street.

“It is sad that the building is deteriorating and has been for a long number of years, even before the current owner had the building, and we are desperate to see something done.”

Currently, no appeal against the decision has been lodged with the local authority.