PROTESTORS against plans for a second farm-themed family park in East Lothian have accused the local authority of “a blatant cover-up”.

More than 440 letters were sent to East Lothian Council’s planning department when the plans for the site at East Fortune Farm were registered last year.

The majority of the representations were against East Fortune Holdings Ltd’s proposals.

None of the objections have been published and, despite a representative of a protest group handing over nearly £500 as part of a freedom of information (FOI) request, the council is still refusing to let anyone see the representations.

READ MORE: More than 400 objections made to plans for family park at East Fortune

David Johnston, spokesman for Stop The Theme Park, accused the council of “a blatant cover-up” and said: “What are they trying to hide?

“It is very straightforward everywhere else.

“An application goes up on the council website, people comment, the comments are published with names and addresses clearly visible – but not in East Lothian.

“This defies belief.

“Planning is sensitive and there’s always dark talk on dodgy dealings in every part of the UK – usually without any foundation at all.

“But in East Lothian, the council’s stance stinks.

“If it is their policy to keep representations secret, why on earth did they charge £490 for processing our request knowing they were going to say no?”

Mr Johnston told the Courier that he had received a letter from the local authority outlining its reasoning for refusing to divulge the contents of the representations.

It noted that East Lothian was “a small, rural authority with close-knit communities” and that, “even with redactions”, the information could not be released “without risking the identification of the individuals involved”.

Mr Johnston also told the Courier that the council had refused to reveal the comments by its own officials on the application.

READ MORE: Plans for family park at East Fortune Farm now revealed in full

Similarly, Mr Johnston claimed a “cloak of secrecy” was being “thrown over” responses by external groups, such as Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Mr Johnston said: “How can we ordinary members of the public have any confidence in this process?

“These planning matters are extremely important to everyone in the county.

“At the stroke of a pen, councillors can turn fields into multi-million-pound housing assets – and the views of the public and their officials are kept secret.”

An appeal has been drawn up by the campaign group in a bid to overturn the council’s decision.

Mr Johnston said: “First there is an internal review and if that comes back keeping the cloak of secrecy in place we will go to the Information Commissioner.

“Light needs to be shone on the planning process in East Lothian so residents can have confidence things are being done properly and, more importantly, understand the reasons behind council decisions.”

Approval of the proposals from East Fortune Holdings Ltd would see the “relocation” of the East Links Family Park from its current home on the outskirts of West Barns.

More than one million people have visited the family attraction since it opened its doors in 2002.

However, current leaseholder Grant Bell intends to walk away when his lease ends in 2026.

He, along with Jane Brand, hope to open a similar facility at East Fortune.

AP Dale, who owns the land at West Barns, has already stressed that, if Mr Bell moves on, the facility would be taken over by a new operator and the park would remain open.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “As in this case, clear reasons are always given if information cannot be released under freedom-of-information legislation and there is an appeals procedure if an applicant is unhappy with that decision.

“We can confirm that an appeal has been received and will be considered in line with our review procedures.”