A FORMER nursery building could be demolished to make way for more than a dozen homes.

Discussions about the future of the former Haddington Nursery School Annexe have been taking place within East Lothian Council.

The building, on the town’s Meadowpark, has sat empty for about six years, with pupils making the move to become part of the new Haddington Infant School, which now makes up part of Haddington Primary School.

An information evening takes place in Haddington Town House on Tuesday when members of the public will get the chance to see the proposals for the first time.

East Lothian Council is looking at the possibility of creating 14 homes – one wheelchair accessible bungalow, five two-storey homes and eight cottage flats – on the site.

The finished properties would all be council homes.

No planning application has been lodged with the local authority’s planning department, who could determine if any housing proposals get the go-ahead.

Community councillors discussed the idea of housing on the site and Jim Graham, community councillor and High Street businessman, was concerned about the idea.

He said: “I just found out about this.

“It is a crazy idea, it is pandemonium down that street just now.

“It is incredibly busy, especially mornings and afternoons with schoolchildren and Pear Tree Nursery children getting dropped off.”

According to East Lothian Council, the proposed design takes into account the site’s location within the town’s conservation area.

The layout has been designed to retain as many of the existing landscape features as possible, including the mature trees and stone walls.

Ward councillor Tom Trotter was among those at the meeting in Haddington Town House last week.

He told members that there was a meeting planned where the future of the site, which he described as “a blot on the landscape”, would be discussed.

Mr Trotter said: “Personally, I think the building is an eyesore and it is attracting folk to it that should not be there.

“There is a danger that something will go wrong.

“It is right that we look at the development but we have got a lot of boxes to tick and it will be fully discussed.

“It is wasted space.”

The Haddington Nursery School Annexe opened in 1965 as an annexe to Haddington Infant School and closed in 2013 when pupils moved to a new joint campus with St Mary’s Primary School.

The original school building was refurbished and opened as Meadowpark Knox Academy in 2016.

Ahead of the public exhibition, which takes place from 3.30pm to 7pm, a spokeswoman for East Lothian Council said: “The event will give members of the public an opportunity to view our proposals for the former annexe site, talk to members of the council’s housing strategy team and give their feedback.

“The comments received will be used to shape the proposals ahead of a planning application being submitted.”