MILLIONS of pounds may need to be spent on new bridges or underpasses at the railway line in Dunbar to boost town centre access if major new housing development continues.

That’s the view of a senior councillor as East Lothian Council is looking to build 10,000 new homes across the county.

Dunbar will have to take its share, with the Edinburgh and Lothian Structure Plan 2015 stating land is required for about 500 homes.

Local ward councillor Norman Hampshire said there had been “significant expansion” south of the railway line since 1990, with hundreds of homes built.

Further developments between Hallhill and the A1 are being considered by the local authority but Mr Hampshire painted a stark picture.

He said: “All the schools are very near capacity and it is very difficult adding more, even through extending them because of the [lack of] land available.

“There are some major issues to be considered.

“If we put significantly more houses into Dunbar this will more than likely be south of the railway line and there are issues with how we access the town centre from that site.

“Spott Road is the only road and is almost at capacity.

“To add a significant number of houses to Dunbar for vehicle access we need to have another route into the town.” And he added his concerns over linking homes south of the railway line with the town centre, saying: “Either going under or over the railway line is expensive.

“[Before we can] do that, we need a significant number of houses.” Mr Hampshire described the situation as “a real concern” unless a solution could be reached to help vehicles – and pedestrians – into the town.

Currently, there are only two ways for pedestrians to get to either side of the railway line, other than Spott Road.

There are underpasses linking Countess Road and Hallhill, and Countess Road and Retreat Crescent.

Mr Hampshire felt there was a need for improving that access as well, but that too would come at a cost.

The only other large sites for possible development come to the east of the town, between the railway line and Bowmont Terrace, or the west towards West Barns.

These two sites could be considered over the coming months when new plans go out to public consultation.

Mr Hampshire said: “It’s been recognised by transportation officers that the bridge at Spott Road is quite tight.

“There was an accident there last week when two vehicles collided going under the bridge.” Community councillor Kilvert Croft was keen to see agricultural land remain in place and described the idea of tearing up large swathes of it as “a travesty”.

But fellow member Pippa Swan said there were “lots of sites” within the town that were currently “derelict”.

“I would love to see an intelligent approach so we don’t have all these buildings and sores throughout the old town,” she said.