Worries housing developers are putting profit before community

Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies, who represents Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry on East Lothian Council, expressed concern that the county was being used as a “satellite of Edinburgh” by developers.

At the August meeting of Tranent and Elphinstone Community Council, Ms Menzies (SNP) said housing developers were far too focused on building homes with easy access to Edinburgh.

She said: “We have to be promoting East Lothian in a positive way and I think developers have a key role to play in this.

“Selling points for new homes are that they are ‘two minutes from the A1’ or have easy access to trains to Edinburgh.

“They are not selling our county, they are selling how fast you can head in the opposite direction.”

Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies

After the meeting, Ms Menzies told the Courier: “I look at the new homes at Futures Way in Wallyford.

“They are being sold with the incentive of easy access to Edinburgh, where you can go and do what you need to do and stay out of the city where it is cheaper to live.

“People are not being encouraged to stay in Wallyford or go and explore East Lothian; it is a case of promoting how easy it is to leave.

“That is a big concern and we will not see large-scale economic development in East Lothian unless it changes.

“East Lothian is a great place to live, with fantastic things to do and great opportunities for growth. But we are not seeing this being promoted.”

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Ms Menzies said she felt developers were thinking too much about profits and not about community, and that that attitude would be difficult to shift.

She said: “I think as long as there is money in property we will see no change. Developers are only interested in what makes them money.

“Until we see developers start thinking more about community, rather than their investors or their bank balance, we won’t see a change.”

Barratt Homes describes its development at St Clements Brae and St Clements Wells, off Futures Way, Wallyford, as being “situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh, next to the A1, the location is perfect for commuters with great public transport close by”.

It also states: “Part of the regeneration plans for Wallyford include a new primary school and a brand-new high school.

“A new high street will be created alongside a network of roads and footpaths connecting all parts of the village.

“East Lothian offers a multitude of countryside and coastal parks for you to explore.”