MORE than 150 new homes could be built on the outskirts of Macmerry.

Plans lodged with East Lothian Council propose 125 houses and 32 flats at the village’s western edge.

Balfour Beatty Homes want to build on a five-hectare site to the north and west of existing housing on the village’s Main Road.

If approved, it would be the second major housing development given the go-ahead in Macmerry in recent months, after permission was granted for 94 houses and eight flats north of St Germains Terrace in September.

The development would be served by a new access off the A199, between the existing properties at the western edge of the village and the road to Adniston Farm.

According to Balfour Beatty, 39 of the properties would be classed as affordable.

The flats would be a mix of one and two-bedroom properties, with the houses ranging from two to four-bedroom and a mix of terraced, semi-detached and detached properties.

The developer was hopeful a decision on the scheme could be taken early in the New Year.

Maureen Cuthill, chairwoman of Macmerry and Gladsmuir Community Council – which is yet to discuss the plans – had mixed feelings.

She was pleased to hear housing could be built, which would help people get on the housing ladder.

However, she had concerns about the impact the homes could have on the village’s infrastructure, such as the village shop and the surrounding roads.