Council chiefs snap up town centre sites

COUNCIL chiefs have agreed to purchase two areas of land behind a Lothian town's high street from a housing association to use for a future development.

An agreement to buy the land behind Dunbar's High Street was made at a meeting of East Lothian Council's cabinet yesterday.

The land at Hughes Garage, Abbeylands, and to the rear of 40/44 High Street is lying vacant.

It has been zoned for housing under the East Lothian Local Plan and planning consent was previously granted to owners Castle Rock Edinvar for affordable housing on both sites.

The council also successfully applied to the Scottish Government Town Centre Regeneration Fund for money towards this acquisition.

Councillor Stuart Currie, the council's housing leader, said: "We are still in negotiations with Castle Rock Edinvar for these two small sites so can't yet comment on the purchase price.

"It's unusual to find vacant areas centrally located and with such good links to local amenities. In cases like this, we work closely with the landowner to determine if any development is forthcoming or if this would be better pursued by the council as part of our commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing and creating vibrant town centres."

The council said its intentions for the site would be subject to a future report to cabinet once legal negotiations are concluded.