CONCERNED villagers want to know what will be done to ease pressure on local roads in the wake of a planned 450-house development for the southern edge of Longniddry.

A bid for hundreds of new homes to the south of the railway line at the village was given planning permission in principle last summer.

Earlier this month, developers Cruden Homes (East) and ZeroC outlined detailed plans for the first phase of the development – dubbed Longniddry South – which would see 179 new homes built.

David Rose, chairman of Longniddry Community Council, said that the group had fears about the overall scheme but the greatest concerns focused on how roads in the village would cope with the influx of traffic.

He said that there remained “unanswered questions” surrounding what measures would be taken to ensure that there would be no accidents on key routes such as Main Street and Coal Road, and he called for East Lothian Council to provide answers.

Mr Rose said: “On closer questioning in respect of road infrastructure in particular, which is a matter we have always been deeply concerned about, we were given no answers whatsoever, save to be told that East Lothian Council have been or will be provided with a monetary contribution to facilitate improvements to the Coal Road (B6363) and Main Street (A198), and were told that we should direct our questions in that direction.

“One of our members was told ‘infrastructure improvements would be made over the course of development’ (or words to that effect).

“We feel very strongly that the road infrastructure needs to be dealt with first before any serious accidents occur.

“This is especially an issue along Main Street and into Kitchener Crescent from both directions where the primary school is situated.

“These same thoughts were echoed by several people from the community who were attending the event at the same time.

“To date, the community council have not seen what these plans will be or what they will entail, or what these apparent ‘improvements’ will mean for the residents of the existing village of Longniddry.”

The first phase of the new housing would focus on the western edge of the site, which would see 179 homes created, including 49 affordable properties.

Planning applications could be submitted later this month, with developers hoping planning permission could be approved early in the New Year.

If the go-ahead is given, work could start in the spring, with the first homes complete early in 2020 and the first phase of the overall site complete by 2023.

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council said “consideration of impacts on roads in the area and mitigation of this” was considered when planning permission in principle was given in June 2017.

She added: “The details are set out in the officer report, committee minute and Section 75 agreement relevant to the planning permission in principle and available on the council’s website.

“The public exhibition provided an opportunity for local residents to view plans and provide comments which will inform the applicant for their detailed planning application.

“It is not appropriate for the council to comment prior to receiving the application.”

Fraser Lynes, from Cruden Homes (East), was happy with how the event in the Longniddry Inn had gone.

He said: “We were delighted to see the turnout of around 150 people at the event, which is a testament to the Longniddry community and interest in this development.

“Both Cruden and ZeroC were pleased to receive overwhelming support for our housing proposals and the level of detail shared at this event.

“The overall development will see significant improvements made to the Main Street and the Coal Road. With its location next to the railway station, Longniddry South will be one of the most sustainable and desirable locations in East Lothian.”