A DECISION over controversial plans for a care village on the outskirts of North Berwick has been delayed after new evidence aimed at highlighting its supposed health benefits was submitted.

Developers Goldcrest are appealing to Scottish Ministers to overturn a decision by East Lothian Council to refuse planing permission for their extra care housing.

The plans, which have been opposed by a ground movement of local residents, were branded “grossly out of character” by councillors, with a town GP comparing the proposal to a “ghetto”.

But while a decision by the Scottish Government Reporter was due by April 12, a study by the King’s Fund on the Care and Support Specialised Housing (CASSH) Fund, which does not operate in Scotland, has been accepted into evidence after it was put forward this week.

The appellants, who have submitted 280 documents to the Reporter as part of the appeal, argued that while the UK Government CASSH fund was not operating in Scotland, the findings of its impact were relevant.

Among the findings reported were claims that extra-care housing models saved the NHS nearly £2,000 per resident over five years and reduced the number of days residents spent in hospital.

READ MORE: Care village branded 'ghetto'

Goldcrest wants to build 152 residential and care units on fields at Castleton Farm, on the eastern edge of North Berwick.

Accepting the CASSH report into evidence, the Reporter has now extended the deadline for submissions to the appeal to April 28 to allow East Lothian Council to respond.

Last August, East Lothian Council’s planning committee unanimously rejected the plans for the care village.

Local GP Dr Clare Doldon compared the village proposals to a ghetto.

She told a virtual meeting of the council’s planning committee “This proposal has the potential to ghettoise this community as it is too far to walk into the town.”

A survey of nearly 700 residents carried out by the SNP Group on the plans found that 97 per cent opposed to the care village.

SNP councillor Paul McLennan said at the time that the reasons for the opposition were consistent across the board.

He said: “Lack of support of the proposal by local GPs; lack of consultation with East Lothian health authorities; the scale of the development; and the visual impact of the proposal to the approach to the village all featured.

“A mark of a good developer is their approach to community consultation and listening. Goldcrest have failed miserably. They can`t be allowed to succeed.”

At the planning committee meeting in August, Goldcrest were criticised for not looking at alternative sites in the county already earmarked for development.

Councillor Jim Goodfellow (Lab), North Berwick Coastal ward member, urged the committee to throw out the application, describing the decision as “straightforward”.

He pointed out it was a clear breach of the council’s Countryside Around Towns development policy.

He said: “The only possible decision on this application is to refuse it.”

It was also opposed by fellow ward members Jane Henderson and Jeremy Findlay, both Conservative.

Mr Findlay said at the meeting: “This application conflicts with at least nine council policies, there are significant objections from local residents. I am not sure why the applicant has even taken it this far.”