OBJECTIONS from more than 30 members of a church congregation have not been enough to stop seven industrial units getting the go ahead.

Thirty-four objections were sent to East Lothian Council’s planning department in protest against East Lothian Land Ltd’s plans for Tyne Close Industrial Estate.

All bar one of those objections came from congregation members of the neighbouring Holy Trinity Church, which is celebrating its 250th birthday this year.

A dozen different concerns were raised but the proposals were given the green light by the local authority’s planning department.

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council said: “There is not a set number of objections before an application would be considered at planning committee.

“Rather, for a local development type like Tyne Close Industrial Estate, if there is any objection then our standing orders require us to place a report with an intended decision on the council’s weekly scheme of delegation list.

“This is issued to members each Thursday, who then have one week to decide whether they are content with our intended decision or whether they require the application to be called off the list.

“If the application is called off the list, then it will be decided at the next available meeting of the planning committee.”

However, none of the ward’s four councillors opted to trigger the proposals to be discussed at the planning committee.

Provost John McMillan, who represents the town on East Lothian Council, is one of the directors of East Lothian Land Ltd, alongside council leader Willie Innes.

Mr McMillan would have been able to call the plans in but would not have been able to take part in any discussions if the matter had gone before the council committee.

Among the objections to the proposals were the “unacceptable levels of noise disturbance” the units would generate, as well as their being “incongruous and intrusive” and that they would “harm the setting of a listed building and negatively impact on Haddington’s conservation area”.

However, despite the concerns, the plans were given the go ahead.

The units have, according to the applicants, a design “very much focussed” on the reduction in carbon emissions.

According to a design and access statement included within the planning application: “There is an opportunity here to provide some much needed modern, purpose-built, environmentally conscious Class 4 small-medium scale business/light industrial unit accommodation in lieu of the ramshackle and poorly laid out structures that currently exist.

“Additionally, it has been proven that there is a growing demand for such facilities in East Lothian which far outstrip [provision], particularly near a main business hub with good transport links.”

Permission was previously given to demolish the existing “ramshackle” business units on the site.