Housing plan can't take off

A HOUSING developer has lost a long-running battle to build new homes on the site of a former aerodrome after the plans were thrown out by council chiefs.

Historic Lothian Protection & Development Limited (HLP&DL) wanted to transform the part of the aerodrome which later became East Fortune Hospital.

The proposals, first submitted to East Lothian Council in 1998, were recommended for approval by local authority planners last year.

But councillors have now voted against the multi-million pound project after ruling the plans failed to "safeguard" listed buildings.

The developer had agreed to renovate seven rusting corrugated iron buildings in the hope of getting the go-ahead to build 50 luxury homes for sale along with six "affordable" homes. The sheds, listed as buildings of historic interest by Historic Scotland, were part of the aerodrome the R34 airship departed from when it became the first airship to fly across the Atlantic from east to west.

The decision has sparked concerns that the site may become more dilapidated, and even dangerous, without a cash injection to regenerate the area.

Sir David Kinloch, a landowner who lives by the site, had backed the plans to build homes. He said: "What else could you do with this land except build new houses? It's not attractive to look at and I'm sure the buildings are only going to become worse over the years. It's a classic brownfield site.

"I could see the point of keeping one of the sheds as a listed building but keeping all seven seems unnecessary. They are going to become dangerous over time and where is the money going to come from to fix them?"

Council chiefs had received an agreement from the developer to pay 455,000 towards extra accommodation for new pupils at Athlestaneford Primary School and North Berwick High School.

But the plans did not include any proposals for the use or development of the listed buildings, which councillors were concerned would threaten their future.

Letters of objection were also received for "segregating" the affordable houses from the rest of the development, over-developing the site and having "inadequate" traffic provisions.

An East Lothian Council spokeswoman said: "The application was refused as the development was considered to not meet the requirements of a planning policy which requires applications for this site to balance the needs of employment, leisure and tourism with the safeguarding of listed buildings. The housing planned would've been in a large area of dereliction, which wasn't considered appropriate."

HLP&DL could not be reached for comment.

FLYING HISTORY

EAST Fortune aerodrome was a Royal Navy Air Station during the First World War and was set up as a defence against German zeppelins en route to bomb Edinburgh.

In July 1919, the British R34, pictured, left from the station to become the first airship to cross the Atlantic from east to west. It was due to arrive back at East Fortune but was returned to Norfolk instead.

Three big airship sheds were demolished in the 1930s, but several ancillary buildings remain.

The sprawling single-storey wards in the hospital built on part of the site housed many tuberculosis patients in the 1950s and 1960s, including rugby commentator Bill McLaren.

The hospital grounds cover several hectares and once housed a church and a fire station. Of the 70 buildings, 40 date from the First World War.