The company behind the development of the former Golf Hotel in North Berwick says its plans would "provide an attractive and positive benefit for the immediate surroundings".

The town's community council voted to object to the plans due to the "scale" of the proposals, after a lengthy discussion at their meeting this month. 

Now, Caledonian Heritable LTD, the business who proposed plans to rip the former hotel down on Dirleton Avenue and build 14 new flats, has publicly commented on the scheme for the first time.

READ MORE: North Berwick group objecting to plans for former Golf Hotel

A spokesperson for Caledonian Heritable LTD, said: "This building, which was last in use effectively as an HMO, has not traded as a hotel for 20 years.

"Caledonian considered the option of a residential conversion,  but this is realistically not economically viable.

"The current proposal for demolition and the creation of 14 new build flats would, we believe, provide an attractive and positive benefit for the immediate surroundings."

Previously, Christiane Maher, treasurer of the community council, said: "The new building is twice the footprint and is coming much further out to the road to Dirleton Avenue and is more prominent than the original building.

"It is quite substantial, these flats are not tiny, they are not little, they are of a good size.

"If you compare it to the scale of the original, it is just massive against everything else that surrounds it.

"I really want to object on the issue of scale. The building on architectural merit is not worth saving, more flats for North Berwick is great, but the scale is just too much." 

And group member Bill Macnair also added: "If you look at that building it is a hotchpotch, it is a mess, not because of vandalism or anything like that. It has had three or four additions to it over the years.

"To try and maintain that building and make it habitable for the modern age, it's just not going to be viable.

"I think what has been proposed is not bad and it will take it to the future, as we are short of houses. 

"To try and maintain it as a hotel is complete nonsense, we have a hotel in the town that has dropped its offering price and it is still not selling, and that tells you something.

"We shouldn't hamstring things for nostalgia."