CAMPAIGNERS who fought to stop developers building more than 1,000 homes on Goshen Farm have warned they may have won the battle but the war goes on.

East Lothian Council last week agreed to drop the site, to the south east of Musselburgh, from the Local Development Plan (LDP), where it had originally been included as a preferred site.

The move, which came after a petition containing 1800 signatures opposing the development was handed to the council, means planning officials are unlikely to support any proposed development there.

However, campaigners who fought plans by Ashfield Land to build housing on it say their victory should not be seen as an end to the debate over the future of the land.

Colin McKay, who has been involved in the Hands off Goshen Greenbelt campaign, said: “We have won the battle but not the war.

"East Lothian Council may have said the land is no longer preferred but developers could still go to the Scottish Government and appeal.

“We cannot be complacent, or relax. The fight will go on.”

Ashfield Land, which promoted its planned development of 1,200 homes on the 120-acre site on its website with the assertion the land was a “preferred site” in East Lothian Council’s Main Issues Report – a precursor to the Local Development Plan – has told the Courier it is prepared to take its case to the Scottish Government.

Steven McGarva, director of the development company, said: “We are very disappointed in the decision of the meeting. It is difficult to understand how such an obvious, deliverable, sustainable extension to Musselburgh is removed in favour of less well-placed, unsustainable and constrained sites.

“This was very clearly articulated by council officers but sadly ignored by councillors in an attempt to appease local objectors.

“The decision has set back the entire LDP process by a minimum of six months and left the council with no logical solution for secondary education in Musselburgh, as the Goshen site was earmarked for the facility.

“It is far from the end for Goshen. It remains the best site for development in the Musselburgh cluster and the council officers clearly supported this view.

“It may be that ultimately decisions on Goshen need to be taken by the Scottish Government, who are able, correctly, to determine applications on their planning merits only.”

The decision to develop Goshen Farm has been hugely controversial, sparking anger from local groups, surrounding community councils and ward councillors.

At the council meeting to discuss their draft LDP, council leader Willie Innes and Councillor Norman Hampshire, planning committee convenor, called for the site to be removed from the proposed sites – and received the backing of colleagues.

Mr Hampshire said: “If land is not within the LDP then it is very unlikely to get support from the planning officer.”

Plans for Goshen were first lodged in 2011 by Ashfield Commercial Properties Limited.

In May this year, updated plans were taken to a public consultation by the developers, who insisted their vision was “highly deliverable”.