Latest news with #EastLothianCouncil
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
'Raw sewage' warning at Scots beach as swimmers warned not to enter the water
The sample was taken at a popular wild swimming spot and detected a high bacterial level. Scots have been warned that 'raw sewage' has been discovered in a popular wild swimming spot. A routine sample was taken by The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) which indicated a high bacterial result at Dunbar East in East Lothain bathing water, reports Edinburgh Live. A sign at the site warned about 'possible faecal contamination' that may cause illness. The regulator has urged people not to bathe and paddle in the stretch of water while they investigate the potential threat to human health. Locals spotted signs erected on the local beach warning them against entering the water on July 30. SEPA are working closely with East Lothian Council as they monitor the situation. A spokesperson for SEPA said: 'SEPA are aware of a high bacterial result at Dunbar East bathing water. 'Our officers are currently investigating the cause of this high result and if required we will explore any mitigation measures. Further water samples have been taken from the bathing water to determine if there is any on-going impact. ' East Lothian Council has placed signs at the bathing water to notify users of the high result and to avoid bathing and paddling. 'Advice against bathing will remain in place until SEPA are satisfied water quality at Dunbar East is no longer impacted.'
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
East Lothian woman ‘knocked sideways' by rejection of house bid
A grandmother who accused East Lothian Council of robbing her husband of the chance to spend his final years in their dream home has been 'knocked sideways' after losing the latest appeal against the decision. Pat Sharp and her husband Nigel bought a former bank building on Westgate, North Berwick, seven years ago for more than £550,000 after it was put on the market by the Royal Bank of Scotland. The move was intended to allow them to retire to an accessible home for Nigel, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, and carry on precious memories built with their granddaughters , who lost their mother at a young age, in the seaside town. But their attempts to turn it into a house were repeatedly knocked back by the local authority planners who said it had to remain a commercial property. Now Scottish Ministers have rejected an appeal over a decision not to grant Listed Building consent for a house on the site – despite the bank hall itself not being listed. Despite the Scottish Government Reporter acknowledging that there was no issue in demolishing the bank hall and that Historic Environment Scotland did not consider it was a listed building, he ruled the proposed new two storey home would impact on neighbouring listed properties. He said the new house would appear 'crammed' into the gap between the neighbouring homes which he said added to the character of the conservation area. Refusing the appeal, the Reporter said: 'I have found that the loss of the former banking hall would be acceptable, and certain elements of the proposed design are not inappropriate. 'However, I find that the most powerful factors in this case would be the harmful effects on the settings of 12 and 14 Westgate as viewed from Westgate and the damage to the character of the North Berwick Conservation Area. I therefore dismiss the appeal.' Mrs Sharp last month told the Local Democracy Reporting Service how she and her husband hoped to create a home in the town where they had honoured their daughter Cheryl's memory with holidays with her daughters over the years. Pat said: 'Cheryl passed away after being diagnosed with CUP (Cancer of Unknown Primary) when her girls were very young and made us promise not to just buy them things but to build memories with them and given them precious experiences. 'We bought a flat in North Berwick and it was a favourite place for the girls and us when they were young. When I saw the bank hall was for sale I thought it would be perfect for our retirement and Nigel, who could no longer cope with the stairs in the flat.' Sadly for Pat and Nigel, who is 78, his condition has now deteriorated to the point he has had to move into a care home to receive the support he needs. Pat said: 'He has been robbed of the chance to spend his final years in what we wanted to be our dream home, looking out over the North Berwick coast and remembering all our wonderful times here. it is devastating.' Planners have rejected several application to turn the building into a home and dismissed claims by Pat and her team that attempts to sell it as a commercial venture have been unsuccessful after describing the £595,000 price tag put on it as 'excessive'. The appeal to Scottish Ministers over Listed Building consent was the latest in a series of attempts to persuade planners to allow the house. Councillors will hear a separate appeal on behalf of the couple over the latest refusal of planning permission at a meeting of the local authority's Local Review Body next week. Pat said: 'We have been knocked sideways by the Reporter's decision. HES had no objection to our plan so this was completely out of the blue. 'Basically he states our site isn't wide enough. This is a completely new objection after seven years.' By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
24-07-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Roads and paths from new housing estates in East Lothian towns adopted by council
Thousands of metres of new roads and pathways have been adopted by East Lothian Council from new housing developments. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The latest round of adoptions includes nearly 2.5kilometres of streets and more than 820 metres of footpaths. The public roads come from new housing estates in Haddington, Dunbar, North Berwick and Old Craighall. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A report lodged in the council's Members Library reveals the roads and paths have been added to its List of Public Roads , meaning it is now responsible for maintenance and care following requests from developers. Moncrieff Walk, Haddington, is one of a number of streets newly adopted by East Lothian Council | Google Maps It adds all of the roadways taken on had been constructed and 'satisfactorily completed' making them eligible to be taken on. It said: 'Any increase in assets that we are responsible for maintaining brings an additional burden on budgets. 'Adoption is a legal requirement when the carriageway/footpath presented is constructed and signed off to an adoptable standard.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Routes now taken over by the council include Moncrieff Walk, Arthurs Way and part of Bothwell Avenue, in Haddington; Queen Margaret University Way and Milne Meadows at Old Craighall; parts of James Kirk Way, Brodie Road and Yosemite Park in Dunbar; and parts of McLeod Green and Anderson Fairway in North Berwick. The report said in total 2,480 metres of road and 828 metres of footpaths have been adopted.
The National
24-07-2025
- Business
- The National
Calls for ‘farcical' North Berwick parking plans to be shelved
East Lothian Council had expected to have parking meters operating on the seaside town centre's streets last month but have hit snags getting planning permission from their own officers. Now the local authority has confirmed that earlier proposals to phase in the scheme by introducing off street charges in car parks, due to be introduced last April, have also been delayed after it was not practical to start charging people until the meters were in place. READ MORE: Scottish construction firm set to go into liquidation Since April 13, planning applications have been lodged seeking permission to install the meters in the conservation area. However, five have had to be withdrawn – one of them twice – while the rest remain undecided. The local authority insists the withdrawal of several of the applications is 'normal practice' in the planning process but declined to go into details over what was wrong with the initial proposals beyond saying it was due to 'accessibility of the proposed locations'. The pavements in some of North Berwick's town centre streets are narrow and already become clogged with tourists during busy periods. [[North Berwick]] is the first of five East Lothian towns due to see parking charges brought in with consultations ongoing over similar plans for Dunbar, Tranent, Haddington, and Musselburgh. East Lothian MSP Paul McLennan, who served as a councillor on the local authority before being elected to Holyrood said, in his experience, the number of application withdrawn was not normal. McLennan said the North Berwick scheme should be put on hold while consultations in other towns were being carried out. He said: 'The process has been poorly planned and in North Berwick it should be halted until decisions are made elsewhere in East Lothian.' Fellow East Lothian MSP Craig Hoy, who also served as a councillor and has been an outspoken opponent of town centre parking charges across the county, described the North Berwick situation as "farcical'. READ MORE: World's tallest cinema in Scottish city 'at risk of closure' He said: 'This is farcical. It goes to show that East Lothian Council hadn't thought through either the impact of parking charges on residents or the practical consequences of installing parking metres in historic and conservation areas in the town.' An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: 'Following ongoing consultation work, the proposed placement of a small number of parking meters was changed. "This was in relation to accessibility of the proposed locations. As is normal practice in the planning process, the previous applications were withdrawn and new applications for the amended locations were submitted.' On the decision not to introduce car park charges in April as originally proposed, they said: 'Off-street charges haven't been introduced. We are seeking to deliver the overall proposal at the same time rather than in parts.'
The Herald Scotland
21-07-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Bid to turn Musselburgh pub into convenience store
The pub, which was previously known as The Hole in the Wa', had reopened as the Tap in October 2023, but in December it announced its closure. Read More: The plans for the new shop have been lodged with East Lothian Council asking for a change of use from public house to retail store as well as planning permission for the internal fit out. Floor plans for the new shop reveal a section has been identified as a 'beer store' to be included in what was formerly a seated corner of the public bar. The public bar and lounge will be merged into one large sales area with office space at the back retained. USave says it is one of the fastest growing chains of shops in Scotland with around 200 branches. It already operates a store on Musselburgh High Street and the New Street branch, if approved will be its second in East Lothian. The chain says it aims to provide a 'one-stop-shop' for all essentials and has been involved in supporting local and community causes including teaming up with Edinburgh Helping Hands to provide football practice sessions for children as well as supporting the Viral Kindness Scotland project which created a free hub for local services and people in need to find each other during the pandemic. The planning application is currently with East Lothian planners and can be viewed on its website.
