A MAJOR plan for 1,500 new houses, a primary school and employment land at Craighall, near Musselburgh, has taken a step forward.

Persimmon Homes has lodged a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) for the scheme with East Lothian Council and is hoping to consult with the public in May.

The mixed-use development includes 41 hectares of employment land, a new local centre, community uses and associated infrastructure.

About 21 hectares of land to the north west of Queen Margaret University is proposed to be allocated for economic uses that support the key sectors of learning, life sciences and food and drink. The servicing of this land will be enabled by the housing development on other parts of the Craighall site.

A new junction is also proposed on the A1 to serve the university project and the development to the south. A quarter of the houses built will be affordable homes.

Jim Kirkpatrick, managing director of Persimmon Homes East Scotland, said: “There has already been extensive discussion with the council regarding the draft masterplan for the site, to ensure that the new development is provided with plenty of greenspace and all the new facilities that new residents and workers in the area will need.

“It is also a tremendous opportunity to assist Queen Margaret University with their ambitious aspirations for the land to the west of the existing campus.

“We are now embarking on a consultation with the local community and other stakeholders to seek their views on the draft proposals.

“A comprehensive environmental assessment will also be prepared alongside the planning application to ensure that the proposals have no harmful impacts on the natural environment or cultural heritage of the area.”

He added: “It is likely that an exhibition of the proposals will be held in May 2017 and we will be publicising the date and venue shortly.

“We will be offering meetings with community councils at the same time and reporting all feedback to the various stakeholders to ensure a transparent and collaborative approach.

“Although timescales can be hard to predict when there is still much work to be done to develop the detail of the proposals, it is anticipated that a planning application will be lodged in late summer 2017.”