CHANGES to a town centre pub have been given the go-ahead by East Lothian Council.

Plans from Caledonian Heritable Ltd for the Keepers Arms, at the junction of Tranent’s Church Street and Bridge Street, can now move ahead, despite an objection from a member of the public.

External works include the removal of the existing front door and creation of a new door.

The planning officer’s report notes: “The works to the building have commenced and therefore this application is in part retrospective.”

The planners also had to weigh up the objection, which stressed the “important contribution” the building made to the Tranent streetscape at the junction.

The report noted: “The objector considers that the position of the front door draws the composition of the elevation together and enables such modest building to make a firm, positive contribution to the Tranent Conservation Area.

“They consider approving the proposed repositioning of the front door would destroy this contribution and reduce the building to a tenement-like row of windows and puzzlingly clumsy doors.”

No conditions were attached to the planning approval.