A PEEBLES man says he is in a “stand-off” with a council over his approach to build a race track. Bob Jamieson, 73, says he is yet to hear back from East Lothian Council regarding the informal proposal for Musselburgh Lagoons put forward by The Sunbeam Trust, which he set up. The trust is involved in plans to produce hydrogen in Scotland through one of its subsidiaries – Alba H2 Fuel – with the race track being targeted as a place to test hydrogen-powered vehicles. “It could be used for F1 but the idea is it is just a test track to develop hydrogen vehicles,” said Mr Jamieson. “This site [Musselburgh Lagoons] looks like the ideal place to have the cars tested.”
THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition demanding a wildlife haven be protected from plans to build a Formula 1 race track on it. Anger over the proposal by a retired businessman for Musselburgh Lagoons has seen more than 6,000 people object. However, in a war of words on social media, businessman Bob Jamieson has hit back, accusing those supporting the wildlife sanctuary of putting the welfare of “cannibal seagulls” ahead of the local economy. Citing news reports from 2019 in which it was claimed seagulls were eating other birds, small creatures and each other as climate change affected their behaviour, he told protestors: “If East Lothian wants cannibal seagulls rather than new jobs, tourism and local economic benefits… that is your choice.”