A FORMER office near Dunbar Railway Station could be transformed into a pub under ambitious plans currently with East Lothian Council.

David McGee, of the town’s Bayswell Park, is keen to change the former Sustaining Dunbar office into a small pub.

The proposals, which are currently being considered by the local authority’s planning department, would see the building, which was previously a cafe.

However, the plans have raised concerns amongst the town’s community councillors.

Stephen Bunyan, the group’s chairman, and Herbert Coutts both questioned if the building, on the town’s Station Road, was big enough to become a pub.

The group was due to meet on Monday evening but decided against it due to it being Easter Monday.

Instead, an email was sent round members asking for their thoughts on the proposals, which could then be passed on to the local authority.

Mr Bunyan said: “We feel it is a rather out-of-the-way place in some ways and there are quite a lot of other pubs in the town.

“But if somebody wants it, perhaps they can have it.

“There are quite a lot of other pubs and some are said to be struggling for business.”

Mr Bunyan pointed to the former Dolphin Hotel, which is just a couple of hundred metres away, and the fact that a planning application had been submitted to turn the closed pub and hotel into shops and housing as potential proof that there was perhaps not a need for more pubs in the town.

Meanwhile, Mr Coutts stressed that the community council was not objecting to the proposals but would like more information before coming to a view on the idea.

He highlighted that the building was small and questioned if the proposals also included part of the yard, which could impact on the plans for an extension to the neighbouring railway station’s car park.

He added: “The other two points I made were first of all Dunbar is not short of public houses and hotels where people if they wish get a drink at most times.

“Why have one down towards the station, which would be somewhat out of the normal line in thinking about, for example, CCTV cameras?

“Secondly, I’m sure the police would keep an eye on it but it is slightly out of the way.

“What I was saying is I was not opposed to it root and branch but that I was asking a number of questions about it.”