Social Value Ideas for East Lothian Council

Paddle court approved with conditions

The committee approved the Athelstaneford paddle court appeal by majority, despite officer concerns that it was an inappropriate countryside leisure use, visually intrusive, and likely to increase pri…

“The planning officer deemed that the proposal was broadly in line with NPF4 policy 17 that nailed the LDP 2018 policy DP2. On the matter of the histor…”

House holiday-let refusal

The committee refused the Liberty Hall scheme for two holiday homes in the countryside, supporting officers' view that the proposal remained a house-in-the-countryside application and conflicted with …

“"Councillor Hampshire. support officer recommendation thanks for Alan I'm going to support the officer's recommendation, but I would like to be able t…”

Countryside house refused

The committee upheld refusal of a proposed new dwelling in the countryside because the applicant did not demonstrate an essential operational need for a permanent on-site worker. Officers and members …

“The proposed House does not meet the policy requirements of Policy 17 and DC4 and therefore can only be considered as an exception to normal presumpti…”

Countryside pet crematorium approved

Planning permission was granted for a pet cremation facility at 32 Boggs Holdings, subject to conditions. The proposal was assessed as a low-intensity use and the committee ultimately approved it afte…

“plan permission is now sought for the operation of a pet cremation facility which would utilise the building and the land use for car parking associat…”

McMerry drive-through approved

The committee approved the revised McMerry Services drive-through restaurant proposal despite objections about litter, car dependency and climate impacts. Members accepted that planning history meant …

“It has gone 10 o 'clock, so welcome along to the planning committee today. I'm going to ask the clerk to now read out the GTR announcement and take a …”

Town-centre promotion condition

The committee added a new planning condition to the Dunbar retail park approval requiring details of a strategy to promote Dunbar town centre within the application site. Members discussed using physi…

“"so a new condition added to the recommendation to approve this so we'll go to a vote now on people's views. I'll ask the clerk to take the roll call.…”

Car wash power washer ban upheld

The committee supported refusal of a Section 42 application to remove a condition banning compressors/power washers at a car wash in Tranent. Members relied on site visit observations and environmenta…

“The first item on the agenda today is application 26 slash 0 0 2 5 3 slash P which is a review against the refusal of time permission for a section 42…”

Transport strategy refresh

Cabinet approved the refreshed East Lothian Local Transport Strategy for 2026-2030. The strategy is an umbrella framework aligned to Scotland's National Transport Strategy and is intended to guide inv…

“Item 5 is a report on the East Losing Local Transport Strategy Refresh for 2026 -30. This is a report by the Deputy Chief Executive for Resources and …”

Parking review methodology approved

Council approved the independent review methodology and criteria for the North Berwick parking scheme, with the University of Glasgow contracted to conduct a 9-month evaluation. The review will cover …

“This framework will provide a structured assessment of the scheme during its first year of operation. Importantly, the evaluation will be independentl…”

North Berwick parking impacts

A motion was brought alleging that North Berwick parking charges were damaging high-street trade, causing confusion and displacement parking issues. The council ultimately did not pause the scheme; in…

“The residents and businesses of North Berwick have been promised a review after 12 months although to date there's been no indication of how this will…”

Dunbar road contributions

Officers confirmed that the retail park proposal is tied to section 75 transport contributions for upgrades to the Spot Road / Queen's Road junction and other transport improvements. Members and objec…

“"it is recommended that planning permission be granted subject the conditions at the end of the report and the conclusion of an agreement under sectio…”

North Berwick parking review

The North Berwick parking scheme had already been implemented, but the council is commissioning a nine-month independent evaluation by the University of Glasgow. The scheme has generated operational c…

“As members will recall in December 2024 the council approved for traffic regulation orders covering on street and off -street parking management and N…”

Phone-free learning policy

Council approved a new mobile phone-free learning environment policy for schools. Primary P1-P3 will not bring phones to school, P4-P7 will use lockable storage boxes, and secondary schools will use p…

“Council's asked to approve the mobile phone free learning environment's guidance in appendix five, which includes that primary one to three won't brin…”

Phone-free learning rollout

The Education Service proposed a county-wide mobile phone-free learning environment model using low-cost storage solutions rather than the much more expensive magnetic pouch option. The report states …

“The amended motion asked for the service to bring back costs to Council and these are detailed in section 3 .5 of the report. It should be noted that …”