A HOUSEBUILDER has pledged to take action to deal with rubbish blowing from its development on the edge of Musselburgh into surrounding areas in windy weather.
The promise follows complaints from resident Gordon Grier, from the Monktonhall area, who has also voiced concern about flooding under the rail bridge on the B6415 road into the town.
He contacted Persimmon Homes, which is building 1,500 new homes on land surrounding Queen Margaret University, about the issue with rubbish from its site, and has been dumping the debris he collects in front of its showhome for disposal.
He claimed “massive pieces of insulation” blew onto the nearby A1 road and added that the B6415 was also affected by debris.
Residents, he said, were “really annoyed” and were left picking up the rubbish, which also included “big sheets of plastic”, plastic bags which had contained building materials, and cardboard boxes.
He said it was a constant problem when it was windy, adding: “They should be making it more secure.”
Mr Grier said there was still debris from the development scattered about after Storm Arwen hit at the end of November.
A company spokesperson said Persimmon Homes East Scotland’s managing director visited the site last month to review the latest situation and agreed further measures to combat site material being blown off the site. He is keen to reassure residents that the situation is being dealt with and apologises for any inconvenience, they added.
A walkabout with Mr Grier has now taken place and he said Persimmon was planning to implement a “litter picking regime”.
Mr Grier is also concerned about flooding on the B6415, adding that water has been running down the road for more than six months.
He claimed there was a pool at one of the entrance roads to the development and water ran down the road towards the rail bridge.
“It’s resulting in the road under the bridge breaking up and constantly flooding, as the single drain can’t cope with all the water that’s running off the site,” he claimed.
He expressed concern about the road being “frozen over” in icy conditions, making it “dangerous”.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We have investigated reports of a leak at this location on several occasions. We do not believe the water is coming from our network, as we do not have any infrastructure in the affected area.
“We have tested samples of the water, which indicate that it is not from a treated drinking water supply and may be ground water.”
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of water run-off from the development site and are working with the developer to resolve this issue.
“The site was closed for the holiday period but we will arrange for one of our officers to attend.”
A Persimmon spokesperson said: “Additional measures are in place to deal with the water run-off.
“The situation will be closely monitored by the local team.”
Mr Grier has also received an email from the council saying it owns and maintains the drains/gullys on the B6415 and has identified an issue with its infrastructure at the railway bridge, “likely due to excess volume and silt build-up as a result.” The council is planning to undertake repairs at the “soonest possible time”.
The email added: “However, this location requires a considerable amount of planning because the road will have to be shut and this in general means a three-month lead-in period to notify everyone – mainly for the bus operators since they will have to work out new timetables to facilitate a diversion route. Royal Mail, couriers and the like are also affected, as well as the residents who live nearby.”
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