A BID to build housing beside one of Scotland’s oldest castles has been given the go ahead after developers successfully appealed to the Scottish Government.

The proposals to build 36 homes on land to the south east of Dirleton Castle were rejected by East Lothian Council last September after 71 objections were received.

Among the main objections were concerns about the impact of the housing on views from the castle and its “zone of vision”.

However, the Scottish Government Reporter has ruled that views from the castle did not have to be retained to maintain its historic setting.

Developer Queensberry Properties welcomed the decision of the Scottish Reporter which came after three years of local consultations and work to produce the plans for the new homes.

They said they had been “disappointed and puzzled” by the original decision to reject the plans which were for housing on part of Castlemains Farm, on the edge of the village of Dirleton.

The land had been identified by East Lothian Council’s Local Development Plan for housing.

However at a meeting of its planning committee last September, councillors voted by seven to four to reject the proposals after  objections were put forward by Scotland’s environmental lobby and local campaigners.

The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS )told East Lothian Council the plans to build next to medieval Dirleton Castle, which dates back to the mid 13th century, were too “modern and suburban”.

Dirleton Village Association presented its own document, Dirleton Expects , outlining its vision for future housing and described the design for the new houses as “as alien as if it had landed from outer space”.

Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress which dates back to the mid-13thcentury and has been at the centre of numerous sieges. At one point it was owned by the Ruthvens, who were involved in several plots against Mary Queen of Scots and King James VI.

However the Scottish Reporter said that he had visited the village and walked around its centre as well as driving through the streets surrounding it.

He said: “I find that the proposal would not interfere with or be readily visible from the historic core of Dirleton. I conclude a person walking or travelling through Dirleton (on the B1345) would generally be unaware of the proposed housing.”

And on the views from the castle itself he added: “I do not accept the position that all current views of the castle must remain unchanged in order to maintain an appropriate setting for the castle.”

A spokesman for Queensberry Properties said: “The decision at the time was disappointing and puzzling in equal measure given the amount of work that had gone into an application on an allocated site.

“We followed the acknowledged and encouraged procedure in working alongside the emerging Local Development Plan.

“The proposals were over three years in the making including extensive consultation with East Lothian Council, Historic Environments Scotland and the local community.

“Ultimately it is a success for the Local Development Plan process and the hard work undertaken by all involved parties, and though we had to wait a further eight  months for the decision we are, of course, delighted with the outcome.”