A GYPSY travellers site built without planning permission on private land will be allowed to remain after a Scottish Government Reporter branded objections to it 'unreasonable'.

Landowner Jason Irvine built four caravan pitches at his property on the outskirts of Tranent to allow members of his extended family to come and live there.

However he did not apply for planning permission before building them, and when he later did, East Lothian councillors rejected his application, leading to an appeal to Scottish Ministers.

Now the local authority has been ordered to pay Mr Irvine's expenses on top of their own legal costs as his successful appeal looks set to cost them thousands of pounds in taxpayers' money.

In a decision by Scottish Government Reporter Karen Heywood, she said: "I find that the council has acted in an unreasonable manner resulting in liability for expenses.

"It should not have been necessary for this case to have come before the Scottish Ministers for determination."

Mr Irvine built the plots on his land at Muirpark Steading, creating four pitches to house up to 12 caravans along with facilities for his extended family.

Although he failed to apply for planning permission ahead of the work, council planning officials urged their elected representatives to approve the work, and Mr Irvine's only near neighbours spoke in support of the development.

However councillors voiced concern about the fact the work had been carried out before they had given it the go ahead and determined to vote against their officials' advice and reject his applicataion at a planning committee meeting in January this year.

At the time Councillor Norman Hampshire, planning convenor, said: "This has come in through the back door and will cause great difficulty for this council if we allow it to happen.

"Other sites will be selected and come forward on the basis we approved this application. I cannot support it."

The Scottish Government Reporter said that she noted the council had received 45 written objections to the proposal, most of them from people living in Tranent.

However she said: "Many people are concerned that the development commenced without planning permission. I do not condone such behaviour. However this has not influenced my conclusions on the acceptibility of the development."

Ms Heywood did, however acknowledge many objections had been made to a set of lights on the wall outside the property, which is on the A199 heading out of the town towards Macmerry, which people reported was distracting drivers approaching the property and introduced a condition to planning permission that they are removed.

Dismissing the council's reasons for refusal, which included concerns about increased pedestrian traffic on the road, and whether it conformed to the council's developments plans, she said: "I conclude that the reasons for refusal are either irrelevant or unsound and that the council has behaved unreasonably."

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “We note the Scottish Government Reporter’s decision in relation to this case and will carry out our statutory duty to ensure conditions attached to the planning consent are adhered to by the applicant within the stated timescales.”