Planning permission in principle has been granted for a holiday lodge development at Whitekirk Golf Club.

The application forms part of the wider development which includes Whitekirk Hill, a recently opened leisure club and bar/restaurant which is the refurbished former Whitekirk Golf Club building.

The principle of building up to 41 holiday lodges – a mix of single, one and a half and partly two storey buildings – has been approved. A study had shown a demand for this type of holiday accommodation in East Lothian and that local jobs would be created. Some objections to the plans included possible light pollution and the visual impact of the development. It was discussed at committee that concerns over the appearance and construction of the lodges, plus any concerns about light pollution, could be addressed when detailed planning permission was being considered.

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East Lothian Council's Planning Committee members voted seven to two in favour of approving the application.

At the same meeting, members refused permission to form a long stay car park on green space at Church Street, Dunbar, known locally as Coastguard Cottages. In this case, East Lothian Council was the applicant and the proposal had been recommended for approval by planners. But committee members upheld objectors' concerns about narrow access to the site and the difficulties of access in and out of the car park and up to the High Street for people with disabilities.

Other decisions taken at the March committee meeting were; approval of a slight adjustment to house types and orientation on a section of the wider Letham Mains development, to accommodate more smaller house types, in a bid to meet market demands; and a decision to approve permission for a metal and glass canopy on the old George Hotel building in Haddington. Officers had concerns that the installation was out of keeping with the historic building, which sits in a conservation area. However committee members felt that the applicant had made an effort to ensure that the canopy was as sensitively designed as possible and wouldn't detract from the attractiveness of the building.

(MH/JG)