Published: Thursday, 4th February, 2010 6:00am

Crime concern over new development

A LEADING Tranent community councillor has warned that steps must be taken to ensure a new development of 53 affordable properties at West Windygoul does not become a crime hotspot.

East Lothian Housing Association's bid to erect 35 houses, 18 flats and associated works on land overlooking the town's Brotherstone's Way was approved by East Lothian Council's planning committee in Haddington on Tuesday.

The site is included within the masterplan, granted outline planning permission in 2003, for a new residential development, a new school, a shop, landscaping and associated infrastructure provision on some 42 hectares of agricultural land at West Windygoul, to the south-west of Tranent.

The mixed development, scheduled for completion by the end of next year, will comprise two flatted buildings of three storeys in height, a terrace of seven houses, four terraces of three houses each, six pairs of semi-detached houses and one detached house.

In a planning report issued to committee members, it was stated that the new properties would "integrate well with those existing housing developments and would not appear incongruous in their wider setting".

To accommodate required extensions to Windygoul Primary School and Ross High School as a result of the additional properties, a developer's contribution of £252,230 will have to be made.

There were no public objections made to the application, and committee members unanimously supported planning officials' recommendation to approve the development.

However, commenting on the development, Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council chairman Raymond Strang said: "We welcome the fact that there's going to be more affordable housing in Tranent that should make it easier for some to be accommodated in better housing.

"However, police reports have shown that a number of these affordable housing developments are locations for a very high number of incidents involving anti-social behaviour, and we hope this is something that is considered when the (East Lothian Housing Association) allocations policy is reviewed."