East Lothian could get 9,000 more homes in the next 10 years

A row is on the cards to determine the exact number of new homes required, with East Lothian Council pushing for the number to be 6,650 over the next 10 years.

However, a report from Homes for Scotland, which represents the housebuilding industry, is calling for that number to be closer to 9,000.

But fears have been raised that the county’s infrastructure has “failed to keep pace” with the rapid housebuilding taking place, amid concerns that thousands more homes in the coming years will only make the problem worse.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, leader of East Lothian Council, told the Courier: “In every town, the land around the town, some developer has an option on that site.

“Obviously, there are sites of interest. The existing developments taking place where they have been selling homes and the desire for developers whether it be along the coastal routes – Dunbar, North Berwick, Gullane and Longniddry – all have a massive demand for houses, but the planners will have to look at that.

“What we have to take into consideration is our secondary schools. Now, they are getting to capacity.

“You can only extend to a certain size and cannot make it any bigger.”

Population growth

In 2018, the council approved a plan for 10,050 homes to be built over a 10-year period.

The Local Development Plan is currently being examined, with a view to a new plan coming into place in 2026.

At the moment, it looks as if 5,000 homes from the original plan are yet to be built.

In addition to these, the local authority is looking to add another 1,650 homes to the next version of the plan, but housing developers would like to see that number significantly increased.

Mr Hampshire acknowledged that the new town of Blindwells – between Tranent, Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton, and Longniddry – had previously been highlighted as potentially accommodating up to 6,000 homes.

Hundreds of new homes have so far been built at the former opencast mine but development on that site comes with the added challenge of funding the necessary infrastructure.

East Lothian’s population growth in recent years has been the second fastest in Scotland after neighbouring Midlothian, growing by 12.6 per cent between 2011 and 2022, from 99,717 to 112,300, with continued growth expected, driven primarily by migration from within Scotland, meaning that many more houses are required.

At the time that population figures from the 2022 census were revealed last year, Mr Hampshire noted that “population growth is already more significant than projected and it has been sustained for over 20 years”.

'Higher demand'

This week, a council spokesperson highlighted the financial challenges that the local authority was facing and stressed that, while new housing meant more people were paying council tax, it also meant that there was “higher demand for our services”.

The spokesperson added: “East Lothian has one of the fastest rates of growth in population in Scotland from 104,000 to over 120,000 by 2037 – about 1,000 a year.

“The number of people aged 75 year or over will double, as will the number of people with dementia, meaning a big rise in care services for elderly people with dementia.

“The number of children 0-15 years old will grow by over 15 per cent, so we need at least two new primary schools and extensions to many of our schools.

“In most areas both demand for services and the cost of delivering those services has been increasing in recent years but the funding we receive has not increased at the same rate.

“This is a particular challenge for East Lothian, where our growing population means that the cost of serving our communities is increasing, while our funding is not.”

In response, Housing Minister Paul McLennan, East Lothian’s MSP, said: “As the local housing and planning authority, East Lothian Council take the key strategic decisions on these matters.

“Their Local Housing Strategy sets out their approach to tackle housing need and demand, and to deliver housing and related services, to meet identified needs in the area.

“Local authorities play a crucial role in Scotland’s communities, and this year the Scottish Government has made available over £14 billion to councils – a real-terms increase of 2.5 per cent compared with the previous year.

“It is up to individual local authorities to manage their day-to-day decision making and allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities.

'Improve supply'

“We will do everything we can within our devolved powers to continue to improve the supply of affordable housing.

“We cannot do this alone, and the contributions that Scotland’s housing sector and local authorities can make alongside Scottish Government-led work are necessary and valuable.”

Substantial housing developments have taken place in the majority of towns and villages in East Lothian in recent years.

Wallyford has seen the creation of new primary and secondary schools, as well as permission in place for about 2,000 new homes.

Justin Hynd, chairman of Wallyford Community Council, said: “It is really public services that is a huge concern for us.

“There are a couple of shops coming in, which will be great, but you wonder when it is going to end with all these houses.

“Obviously, the make-up of Wallyford, it was originally as mining town, and the socio-economic is pretty poor, but these new houses coming in, the vast, vast majority of them, people from the area cannot afford. It is good to know there is going to be more social houses being built but is that going to be enough?

“There needs to be serious consideration on where the council allows building to go.”

Affordable homes needed

Meanwhile, North Berwick has also seen large-scale housing development in recent years.

Kenny Miller, chairman of North Berwick Community Council, said: “There has already been land set aside for houses in Blindwells and, at this point, we do not know exactly what is even being planned at the moment. If houses are built in the North Berwick area they should be affordable homes for people who want to work and live in the town.”

Councillor Jeremy Findlay, who represents the North Berwick Coastal ward, added: “Any new housing requirement forced upon us by Scottish Government should be matched by central government spending on the infrastructure needed to support this expansion in our population.

“This would include but not be limited to funding for increased medical facilities, road infrastructure, broadband rollout particularly in rural areas, and economic development to promote local employment rather than East Lothian becoming a dormitory for Edinburgh.”

Douglas Alexander, Lothian East MP, said: “I’ve heard from many local residents that they feel that, over a number of years, the Scottish Government has let East Lothian down by failing to ensure that the new housing that is needed is matched by the new public services also needed.

“I’ve argued that the Scottish Government needs to deliver fair funding for local services, jobs and infrastructure.”

Craig Hoy, South Scotland MSP, shared his concerns. He said: “In recent years, the population of East Lothian has grown dramatically. While it has been welcome to see so many people choosing to live here, it is increasingly clear that our infrastructure has failed to keep pace. I am therefore concerned to build 9,000 additional homes in East Lothian which will put further pressure on already struggling services and put prime agricultural land at risk.”

Fellow South Scotland MSP Martin Whitfield added: “East Lothian has had to take a substantial share of the new housing allocated for south-east Scotland over the last decade. However, the Scottish Government has consistently failed to give the county the additional funding required to deliver new infrastructure.

“I believe the council is right to seek a lower target for housing in the next LDP and that it should also be given extra resources.”