FRESH plans are being drawn up for DunBear Park after the site on the outskirts of Dunbar was sold.

Permission was given almost a year ago for a Starbucks, Lidl and B&M on the 54.3-hectare site.

However, none of the businesses is close to opening its doors.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, who represents the town on East Lothian Council, told the Courier there remained huge interest in the site from residents of the town and surrounding villages.

He said: “I get it every time I go out – ‘when is this coming?’ – and I have no idea.

“They do not communicate with us once they have got planning permission.

“I just know somebody else has bought the site and they have been speaking to our planning department.

“I cannot give away my view on any new potential application but obviously the application for Lidl and B&M was supported and people from the community are currently travelling to Haddington and further afield to go to these shops because they have not got them locally.

“There is certainly an interest within the community for these businesses to come along but we, as a council, are not in control of that.”

The decision to approve the three businesses was made by East Lothian Council’s planning committee in November last year.

At that time, members voted eight to one to give the green light to the Lidl and B&M plans, while the Starbucks proposal got the go-ahead seven votes to two.

When the plans were discussed last year, it was claimed they would deliver a multi-million-pound investment in the town and create about 100 new jobs.

At that time, representatives from then owners Hallhill Developments Ltd and Lidl Great Britain Ltd said the stores could be operating on the site this year.

It has still to be confirmed who now owns the site.

Mr Hampshire anticipated any new planning application would be along similar lines and said both B&M and Lidl were “still in this”.

He stressed he did not know “all the ins and outs” and said: “They are hoping to put a fresh application in at the end of the year.”

The area, to the east of the town’s Asda store and garden centre, is home to the DunBear sculpture.

The five-metre-tall work of art was created by Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, who is also responsible for the Kelpies, near Falkirk.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “The new owners have been in touch and we understand they will seek pre-application discussions with us prior to them submitting any planning application.”