CONCERNS have been raised regarding three large drainage ponds at the heart of a major housing development planned for the western edge of Haddington.

More than 800 new homes are proposed for Letham Mains; plans for 379 of these properties, at the eastern portion of the site, were submitted to East Lothian Council last month.

The town’s community council briefly discussed the plans at its meeting this month.

Community councillor Paul Darling was concerned about the potential safety risks relating to the proposed SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) ponds earmarked for the eastern part of the site.

He said: “They are talking about three great big pools of water. Are they going to put fences round them?

“The houses look fine and there are retail units too. There is no doctors’ surgery in the plans but that could be in the retail units.” CALA Homes is behind the plans for the east of the site, which stretches to 23 hectares in size.

Already, Mactaggart & Mickel Homes Ltd, Taylor Wimpey East Scotland, and Classhappy Ltd’s proposals for 433 new homes, made up of 385 houses and 48 flats, for the west of the Letham Mains site are with East Lothian Council.

A spokesman for CALA Homes was happy to hear from the community council and intended to be in “ongoing dialogue” with the group.

He added: “There are four ground-floor commercial units. There is scope to use one as a doctors’ surgery if they want to lease the space.” The spokesman stressed the use of the units would be driven by commercial demand but added that a doctors’ surgery was viable.

Meanwhile, he said the SUDS ponds were being developed in accordance with Scottish Water and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) regulations.

The CALA Homes site, which would be bound by West Road to the north, Pencaitland Road to the south and Burnside to the east, would be home to 258 houses and 119 flats.

All bar 10 of the flats would be two-bedroom, the others one-bedroom.

The houses would be made up of two-bedroom (nine), three-bedroom (56, 48 terraced), four-bedroom (86) and five-bedroom (107).

The scheme would also cater for a total of 674 vehicles.

There would also be a “linear park” along the Letham Burn, open spaces and play parks, and a new sports pitch and pavilion facility next to Pencaitland Road.