CONCERN over the amount of time residents on new housing estates have to wait for green spaces has been raised by East Lothian’s planning chairman.

Councillor Norman Hampshire told a meeting of the planning committee that he was concerned about delays to introducing landscaping work on new projects across the county.

And he called for developers to take into account their first residents on estates instead of leaving the planting until the final home had been sold.

Speaking as the committee approved plans for another 69 houses to be built as part of a sprawling development to the south of Wallyford, Mr Hampshire criticised the way that developments were being created.

He said: “My concern is about how we are bringing these developments forward.

“When you consider sites where the first house is built and sold, by the time the last house is built and sold the first residents could be in place a number of years.

“I am concerned about the quality of landscaping, which is not being done until the very end of development.”

The committee was considering an application to change plans which had originally been approved to allow 185 houses on part of the site, which is expected to see more than 1,400 homes built on the land in total.

The committee was told that 135 houses had been built so far and Taylor Wimpey East Scotland, which is developing the section of land, wanted to put another 69 homes on it, taking the number to 15 more than initially approved.

All of the 69 houses, which will be a mix of four-bedroom, three-bedroom and two-bedroom houses, will be for private sale.

Concerns were raised about the lack of trees on the site, with planning officers telling the committee that there was not space for “significant tree planting” on the site.

However, they said that proposals for landscaping on adjacent land as part of the bigger site were expected to be brought forward by developers.

Mr Hampshire told officers that he would have preferred the landscape proposals to be submitted alongside the housing plans.

He said: “I am concerned about what is happening across East Lothian.

“Landscaping is being left so people are living in this housing for some time without attractive landscapes.

“Developers can leave it for years down the line.”

The committee approved the new plans unanimously.