UP TO 300 new jobs could be created if ambitious plans to replace county karting centre Raceland with a petrol station, drive-thru takeaway and hotel are given the go-ahead.

A Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) was submitted to East Lothian Council earlier this year to transform the Raceland site near Gladsmuir, just off the A1, into a major roadside services hub.

A public consultation event took place at the George Johnstone Centre in Tranent at the end of last month, which revealed more details of the plans and allowed residents to give their views.

Developers Clarendon Planning and Development Ltd lodged the notice with East Lothian Council on behalf of Karting Indoors Ltd, which runs Raceland.

A spokeswoman for Clarendon told the Courier the reasons behind the PAN being submitted.

She said: “Having operated Raceland for many years, the Cameron family [Raceland owners] are understandably looking to the future and are keen to work with both East Lothian Council and the local community in delivering what we believe to be an exciting and positive economic generating prospect for the area.

“Whilst the existing facility continues to operate, our remit is to explore consent for a sustainable redevelopment of the land that will create local employment opportunities and meet latent demand for the likes of a petrol filling station and complementary commercial uses, all taking advantage of the existing road network and proximity to the existing junction.

“At present, surprisingly, there are no dedicated roadside services on the A1 between Musselburgh and Berwick.”

At the consultation event, it was confirmed that the project, if approved, would bring hundreds of jobs to the area.

“It is anticipated that the proposed roadside services will create around 200-300 new jobs, which will be a mixture of full and part-time positions,” a spokesperson said.

Officials from Clarendon were also keen to stress plans were at “a very early stage”, but added the development could include a hotel, restaurant and drive-thru, as well as a petrol station.

Among the first people at the consultation event was Maureen Cuthill, chairwoman of Macmerry and Gladsmuir Community Council.

She said: “I think it is a good thing and it will bring jobs to the area, which is good.

“We discussed it at a community council meeting and most people were in favour of it.”

Access to the site is proposed from the existing Raceland entrance, and Mrs Cuthill said that the site was “not intruding on anyone”.

She also praised Tom Cameron, Raceland managing director, for his efforts supporting community events.

“He’s always been very generous and given us money for the Christmas tree and lights every year since we started in 2000 – when he sponsored it,” she said.

“I think he has done all he could [to keep Raceland open].”

The consultation took place between 2 and 7pm last Tuesday, with only a handful of people attending in the opening hour – leading to questions over why the event was not held later in the evening.

However, the Clarendon spokeswoman told the Courier: “The times and the venue are agreed with East Lothian Council.

“We held it here [George Johnstone Centre] because we felt it might attract more people and the times allow people to come after work.”

The deadline for submitting comments on the plans is next Friday (March 17), and any feedback can be emailed to info@clarendonpd.co.uk or on the firm’s website.

A planning application is expected to be submitted “at some point this year”.

Go-karting first started at the site in 1990, while the current Raceland opened its doors in 1995.

It is the largest leisure karting centre in Scotland, offering both outdoor and indoor circuits, as well as paintballing.