A PLAN to turn a storage building into an ice cream servery in stables at historic Newhailes Estate in Musselburgh has been given the green light by East Lothian Council.

Drainage pipes will also be installed as part of the project at the visitor attraction, with its Palladian-style country house, which is run by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS).

An NTS spokesperson said: “We’re pleased that this development can go ahead. It continues our work to revitalise visitor facilities at Newhailes House and Garden, one of Scotland’s national treasures.”

It is hoped that work will start in the next few weeks, Covid-19 restrictions permitting. The plan is to open the ice cream servery for the summer season.

The facility is part of the charity’s £2.4 million Newhailes revival project, which was launched in 2017/18 to breathe new life into the house and its general landscape.

This involved restoration of parts of the estate, including developing the walled garden into a community garden, and the creation of Weehailes playpark.

In October 2000, planning permission was granted for the conversion and alteration of the building to provide a visitor centre, cafe, offices, five houses and one flat, including the formation of a car park and associated landscaping works, accessed off Newhailes Road. This work has partly been carried out as the five houses have not been created.

In August 2018, the go-ahead was given for alterations and change of use of storage areas and flat to extend the visitor centre, including the provision of an extended cafe with outdoor seating area, shop, offices and public toilet facilities.

The nationally important stables are listed Category A as being of special architectural or historic interest.

A planning report for the new ice cream servery stated: “The intention is to serve customers a takeaway ice cream service to expand and enhance the existing visitor, cafe and retail facilities at Newhailes.

“This in turn would ensure that the Newhailes Estate would remain an attractive and viable tourist attraction within the Edinburgh Green Belt.

“The proposed change of use of this part of the building would conserve the form and character of this part of the Newhailes Stables complex. The proposals do not include the erection of any new buildings or alterations to the external appearance of the buildings. There will be no change to the built form of the Newhailes Stable complex and therefore the proposals would not harm green belt objectives or the character or appearance of the local area, including this part of the Edinburgh Green Belt.”

Historic Environment Scotland raised no objection to the proposals and was satisfied that they did not raise issues of national significance with regard to the effect of the development on Newhailes Garden and Designed Landscape.

In 1709, the estate was purchased by the powerful and influential Dalrymple dynasty in the form of Sir David, 1st Baronet of Hailes, who served as Scotland’s Solicitor General and Lord Advocate.

In the decades that followed, Newhailes came to be seen as one of Scotland’s most beautiful Palladian-style country houses, set among extensive, landscaped grounds.