CALA Homes delighted at green light after extensive public consultation

AN UPMARKET house builder has been given approval to create 376 urgently needed new homes in East Lothian.

CALA Homes welcomed a decision by planners to green light the proposed new development at Letham Mains on the west side of Haddington.

As well as addressing a shortage of family homes in the area, the development will contribute to £10 million worth of education improvements, including the creation of a brand new primary school and enhancements to Knox Academy, St Marys RC Primary. The Aubigny Centre will also be extended.

Derek Lawson, Land Director with CALA Homes (East), said: “We are extremely pleased that the careful process of community consultation and working closely with planning officers has now come to fruition.

“We have listened to feedback during the entire process, taken that on board and reflected it in the designs which have been approved. We now look forward to delivering a development which will offer a range of housing, is appropriate for the setting and benefits Haddington.”

The approval underlines East Lothian Council’s long held Local Plan strategy to address demand for new housing.  With planning permission secured, CALA Homes is hopeful of starting work on the site in early 2016. The company has previously developed in Haddington, and has more recently delivered in North Berwick, including the recently completed Gilsland Grange and at neighbouring Priory Meadow.

New homes on the 21 hectare Letham Mains site will include 167 detached houses, 30 semi-detached properties, 46 terraced homes, 14 town houses and 119 flats, offering a blend of property types designed to attract people in all stages of life, including affordable housing.

CALA Homes is headquartered in Edinburgh and employs 600 people and earned its reputation on the high quality of the homes it builds, which are sensitively designed to augment the areas in which they are located.

The result is homes that are highly sought after and which retain their value over decades, earning loyalty from owners, who often live in a series of CALA properties.

At Letham Mains the site will be bisected by the Letham Burn and the plans include creating a park which will run along both banks, including footpaths and a children’s play area. An open area of the site will also feature a full size football pitch, with a pavilion changing area.

Extensive community consultation was carried out over the proposals, including a two-day exhibition at the Corn Exchange in Haddington which was attended by almost 190 people.

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