A DECISION on the development of a long-awaited new town at Blindwells – which would initially see 1,600 homes and a new school created – could finally be taken next month.

Plans for the creation of the new settlement, located between Tranent and Longniddry, were lodged with East Lothian Council more than two years ago.

Now, a decision could finally be taken, with the applicant, Hargreaves Surface Mining Ltd, anticipating it will be debated at East Lothian Council’s planning meeting on February 7.

Iain Slater, development and estates director with the company, told the Courier: “This is the next chapter in the development of the Blindwells site, which will see over £100m invested over the next 15 years. The project will have such a positive impact on the community, creating jobs and income for businesses nearby and in the supply chain.

“Should everything go to plan at the [planning] committee, we would expect initial earthworks to commence in the summer.”

Discussions about developing a new town at the former open-cast mine at Blindwells have been ongoing for more than a decade.

Hargreaves Surface Mining Ltd had hoped for the issue to be discussed by East Lothian’s councillors before the end of 2016.

However, the applicant has been busy working with SEPA on site drainage, an issue which, they said, “has taken a little longer than anticipated”.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, chairman of East Lothian Council’s planning committee, felt it was vital that the plans, which have been discussed for decades, came before councillors.

He said: “Obviously, there is massive demand for housing in East Lothian. Without Blindwells coming forward, it puts pressure on other land in East Lothian.”

The site, which would also include 400 affordable homes, would require significant infrastructure investment, ranging from the creation of a new primary school to roads and utilities, such as electricity, gas and water.

Mr Hampshire added: “It is a significant, large number of houses.

“If we didn’t have that brownfield site, developers would be looking to add to existing settlements and they are under pressure with the allocations they have had.”

Work on the site could be split between a number of developers and is expected to take several years to come together.

The first phase of the development would see about 1,600 homes built at the western end of the site.

But that figure could eventually swell, with the potential for up to 6,000 homes being built on the site in future.

MSP Iain Gray was similarly pleased to see the scheme edging forward.

He said: “Getting the development of Blindwells under way is clearly a crucial part of delivering the 10,000 new homes the Scottish Government has instructed East Lothian to build over the next decade. It’s an exciting opportunity to develop an entirely new settlement, with the potential for many thousands of homes to be built in the years ahead, and relieve some of the pressure for new developments in other towns and villages.

“But it will be important to get Blindwells right from the start.

“I’m sure that East Lothian Council’s planners will be taking full account of the infrastructure needs at the site and seeking to ensure that this is developed alongside the new houses.

“Given the huge scale of the development and the financial commitment necessary to bring it to fruition, I will also expect to see the Scottish Government contributing to the costs of the educational, health, transport and other infrastructure needs of the site.”