THE first of a batch of 60 affordable homes at Blindwells should be complete within a year. Cruden Homes will start on the site – between Tranent and Port Seton – this month, with dozens of affordable homes being built on behalf of East Lothian Council. The project, which comprises 32 houses and 28 cottage flats, will take about 20 months to complete, with the first phase of homes due in the spring of next year. The mix of terraced and semi-detached properties will be predominantly two-storey and available to rent upon completion. Iain Slater, development and estates director at Hargreaves Land, which is behind the overall Blindwells project, outlined progress was being made on the site – previously an opencast mine.
One of Scotland’s largest residential development schemes will soon be offering much-needed new affordable housing for residents in East Lothian. Cruden Homes will start on site this month at Blindwells, where it will deliver 60 new affordable homes on behalf of East Lothian Council, following the latest land sale by developer Hargreaves Land. The project, which comprises of 32 houses and 28 cottage flats, will take around 20 months to complete, with the first phase of homes due in spring 2022. The mix of terraced and semi-detached properties will be predominantly 2-storey and available to rent upon completion. Blindwells, which is located 10 miles east of Edinburgh, has outline planning permission for 1,600 homes. Hargreaves Land’s proposals also include new education facilities, a healthcare hub, local retail outlets and a range of other services to help establish a thriving new community.
MORE than £1 million will be spent on restoring six buildings on Dunbar High Street. Work could get under way as early as this month, after funding was granted to East Lothian Council by Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The scheme will see work carried out at the former Lothian Hotel, as well as five other buildings of which the local authority was unwilling to share details as they are in private ownership. A total of £1,113,949 has been granted for Dunbar through the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). The scheme delivers a combination of larger building repair projects, small grants schemes to fund repairs to properties in private ownership, community engagement and education activities, and professional training activities and opportunities, all of which will contribute to sustainable economic and community development.