Published: Thursday, 17th January, 2008 09:30
Resident left in the dark
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A PORT SETON woman claims to have been left in the dark by East Lothian Council and a private housing developer over street lighting outside her Long Craigs home.
Linda Johnstone, 40, said she had been asking the council for street lighting for nearly three years, but the council had refused her requests, insisting that it did not own the land.
She had even been told by the council that she and her neighbours would have to fork out £6,000 for two lampposts because she lived in a private estate.
There are three car parks at Long Craigs and Ms Johnstone’s house backs on to the middle one, which is the only one without lighting. It posed serious safety concerns, she said, because it was impossible to see people at night.
“There is street lighting in the other two car parks and the council has said it has nothing to do with this one. But we never had confirmation of that,” said Ms Johnstone.
“Peter Ford (ex-Longniddry councillor) looked into it for me and he commissioned a police report in 2006 which said there was not enough street lighting. But still nothing was done.
“It’s just so intimidating at night walking through the car park when you can’t see anyone and we’re the only one that doesn’t have any lighting. I can’t understand that.
“As a tax payer I thought that street lighting was something we wouldn’t have to pay for, but the council told us that we would.
“We were also told that there could be grants of 50 per cent of the cost towards it.
“But I flatly refused to pay because I believe I shouldn’t have to and I certainly can’t afford to. It’s just unbelievable!
“We were then told at the end of 2006 that there would be no grant.
“We just don’t want to drive into a black hole every night.”
The council confirmed that it had ‘adopted’ a small piece of greenery in the car park, which was normal when private estates were built.
But despite the residents’ serious safety concerns, it was the developer’s responsibility to provide street lighting in that area, according to the council.
Long Craigs, built by George Wimpey in the 1980s, is part of the Dene Estate.
It is shared by 13 residents and is accessed through an archway.
A spokesman for George Wimpey said: “The parking area is private and all structures on the parking area, including lighting, are thus owned jointly by the 13 residents.
“They are responsible for the lighting of the area.
“The land does not belong to George Wimpey, and therefore the company has no responsibility for it.
“The parking area and its lighting were, of course, constructed in compliance with the requirements of the local authority at the time the development was built.
“If the residents now wish to extend the lighting of the area, then they would have to do so at their own expense.”
Ms Johnstone now intends to raise the matter with East Lothian MP Anne Moffat.
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