Work progressing on 400 home development at Longniddry

Work at the site – being marketed as ‘Longniddry Village’ – has been ongoing for more than a year.

The East Coast Main Line railway is all that separates the new development from the existing Longniddry settlement.

But the site of the new homes is actually where ‘old’ Longniddry once stood, hence its ‘Longniddry Village’ name.

This week, ZeroC, part of Places for People, opened the doors to its new show home in the development.

Longniddry Village is being developed in partnership with landowners Wemyss and March Estates.

Work is continuing to develop new homes to the south of the railway line at Longniddry. Picture: Alan Rennie

Maps dating back to the 1700s show that half of the old village of Longniddry was to the south of where the railway now runs, on the site of the present Longniddry Farm.

When John Glassell acquired most of the lands of the village in 1779, the pace of change increased and many of the remaining houses and buildings in the village were cleared for agriculture.

The railway arrived in 1845 and land previously owned by Mr Glassell was passed firstly to the House of Argyll and then to the Wemyss and March Estates, with the many new homes being built to the north of the railway line in the 1900s.

Allison Sutherland, regional sales and marketing director for Places for People in Scotland, said: “It’s been an exciting time for Places for People to deliver our first ZeroC development in East Lothian, which delivers a fresh approach to building homes in the area. The development and house types have been designed to complement the local area, with attractive layouts and flexible living in mind, suitable for a range of customers.

“We have been overwhelmed with the level of interest.”

12.04.2021. Longniddry Village Development Site. Image by Gordon Bell

Ward councillor Neil Gilbert said it was important that the new homes became part of the existing village. He said a lot of people were “on board” with the development and highlighted some improvements being planned for the village through the development.

Mr Gilbert said: “The improvements the money will be doing, particularly on the main street and the bridge under the railway line with traffic lights, have gone down quite well.

“Obviously, the school needed an injection as well.

“Longniddry is an ageing population or was and this should bring the average age down a bit and bring more kids into the school.”

The development also includes a range of affordable homes for rent exclusively designed for people over 60 and boasts “extensive open space” with a new village green and restored mill pond.

Earlier this year, plans for a cafe and offices on the site were approved by East Lothian Council.

More than 450 homes are planned for the site, with three developers working on the first phase.

That will see Cruden delivering 81 new homes, with ZeroC behind 59 homes and Castle Rock Edinvar responsible for 39.