A NUMBER of questions remain unanswered, according to the chairman of Pencaitland Community Council, after plans for 120 houses in the village were put on display.

Gladman Developments Limited unveiled its proposals for the site off Lempockwells Road at a public exhibition this month, viewed by nearly 100 residents.

Community council chairman Ralph Averbuch felt there were still issues that needed to be addressed and questioned if the community would benefit from additional houses.

Greg Lamb, a partner at the applicants, stressed the scheme was still in the “very early stages”.

Mr Averbuch said: “I think there is a huge amount of scepticism.

“Most people I have spoken to don’t have a problem in principle with more housing being built.

“We have an opportunity with brownfield sites in and around the village to be exploited to the benefit of the community.” However, there were equal concerns that the scheme would not enhance the village and was simply adding further housing stock.

Mr Averbuch did not want to see a developer simply build houses and leave the community with “more road traffic and more pressure on existing amenities”.

Access, according to the indicative designs, could be gained to the site through either Lempockwells Road or nearby Bruce Grove.

Community Council secretary Jean McCormack lives on Bruce Grove, to the north of the site.

She was concerned about the potential extension of the street into the new housing scheme.

Mrs McCormack felt it was “not good for the infrastructure” and the road was narrow enough already.

The public exhibition was held in the Carriage House.

The proposals for the seven-hectare site show 120 houses, with 30 of those to be affordable homes.

Mr Lamb said the size of the remaining 90 houses would be “market driven”.

One of the half-dozen boards on display in the venue stated there would be a “mix of housing types from terraced to large detached properties”.

There were also concerns aired at the event regarding drainage, the size of the development and its potential impact on the amenities already in the village.

Mr Lamb acknowledged there were issues raised at the meeting.

“It’s basically what today is about,” he said.

“We hear these comments and there is an immediate reaction that if the village gets bigger the amenities will suffer.

“One thing new developments can bring is re-enforcement of amenities.

“As I say, we are asking people to say what the village could do with.

“Education will be a big issue, as well as in terms of school capacity.

“If places stay the same, they can go the other way and you end up with an ageing population and falling school roll.

“It does not sound like that at the moment, but additional housing can bring benefits as well.” To make your views known go to your-views.co.uk/pencaitland