Plans to turn a new town centre into a pedestrian zone with flats for older people and fitness facilities are set to be given the go ahead by East Lothian councillors.
Officers are recommending the long-awaited proposals for Blindwells for approval when they go before committee next week.
The plans include 65 homes including 54 affordable ones, 12 of which are for later living , a supermarket and 12 food and retail shops.
There are also plans to build 36 offices, six additional commercial units, four trade, a gym, a nursery and a well-being facility.
Earlier this month developers Hargreaves told a meeting of the council that the delivery of the town centre relied on planning permission being granted and could still be up to two years away.
Concerns about the lack of shops had led one community council to describe the new town plans as ‘piecemeal’ with more than 340 homes already occupied in the new town.
Now detailed plans for the town centre set out how the developers have changed proposals from a retail park style town centre to a high street model.
It will see shops in the centre facing onto a pedestrianised street with squares at either end and parking provided outside of it.
In the design statement for the town centre the developers say: “The layout of the proposed high street has been designed to deliver retail, commercial
and leisure units in two parallel blocks, together with a separate block to the
west which accommodates a small supermarket.
“This allows the high street itself to be pedestrianised and avoid necessary car parking becoming the focus of the high street.”
It adds: “The local centre is intended to form the heart of the new development and provide facilities and services to meet the needs of residents in the new Blindwells community.
“The proposed range of uses and their layout will provide a rich social and community focused local centre, achieving the aspiration for a sustainable new settlement that will support the daily needs of residents for social, retail, leisure and employment facilities within a short distance of their homes.”
The plans will go before committee next week for a decision.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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