CONTROVERSIAL plans for up to 150 new homes on the outskirts of East Linton will be revealed next month.

Initial proposals focusing on land to the north of Preston Road, on the eastern edge of the village, were submitted to East Lothian Council at the end of October.

At present, there is scant information on the proposed scheme – which is being put forward by Clarendon Planning and Development Ltd and Barratt David Wilson Homes – but a public exhibition in East Linton Hall on December 13, 2-7.30pm, should change that.

Copies of the Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) have been sent to Dunpender Community Council, as well as the three ward members – councillors Norman Hampshire, Paul McLennan and Michael Veitch. Judith Priest, chairwoman of the village’s community council, told the Courier a presentation was given to the group in March.

She said: “It came to us in the spring, sort of just floating the idea, I think, for it.

“At that point, it was 150 houses.

“The actual Proposal of Application Notice does not have a great deal of information on it and I don’t know if that housing number is still the case.”

Community councillors opposed the proposals at that time but were waiting to see what came out of the public exhibition before putting together a formal view.

Mrs Priest felt the site was on the wrong side of the village, with vehicles having to travel an “already incredibly congested” High Street to head to the development site or out of the village towards the A1.

Already, East Lothian Council is considering plans for 97 houses and 22 flats at Orchardfield, on the western edge of the village.

When the plans at Orchardfield were lodged, campaign group Save East Linton from Excessive Expansion (SELFEE) outlined its opposition to the scheme.

A spokeswoman for the group said of the Preston Mains plans: “This area of land has not been even allocated for housing in the Local Development Plan.

“It is prime arable land and the far side of the village.”

“Vehicles would have to come through the village to get out, which is a huge concern.”

A spokeswoman for Clarendon Planning and Development Ltd stressed plans were still at an early stage but the proposal for the nine-hectare site was for between 100 and 150 homes.