The Future Development of Herdmanflat Consultation

Overview

East Lothian Council has lodged a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) for the masterplan to redevelop the former Herdmanflat Hospital in Haddington. 

According to the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (as amended) a PAN is to be submitted for major development proposals. The objective of a pre-application consultation is for communities to be better informed about major and national development proposals and to have an opportunity to contribute their views before a formal planning application is submitted to the planning authority. The pre-planning consultation does not take away the need for, and right of, individuals and communities to express formal views to the planning authority during the planning application process itself.

As part of the planning process, a three month public consultation is now in progress. This will provide the local community with the opportunity to comment on and help shape the council’s proposals for redeveloping the site. Anyone with an interest in the site is invited to contribute responses.

The council purchased the former hospital site from NHS Lothian in April 2020 with support from the Scottish Government, when the hospital’s services moved to the new East Lothian Community Hospital.

The Council have always been aware that future development needs to be done in a sensitive manner, taking into account the unique nature of the site including its size, location, listed buildings and existing green space and mature trees. We know that this is important to the local community.

Detailed investigative work has been completed to understand how best to bring forward proposals that maintain the integrity and heritage of the site, whilst also strengthening its role as a valued community asset.

Our initial proposals focus on agreeing a masterplan for the development, which will hopefully see much needed affordable housing for older people, as well as the opportunity to meet the needs of the wider community within East Lothian. We are looking at a mix of affordable new build and refurbished properties that will assist in meeting East Lothian’s growing demand.

Over the past two years, the council’s Housing Service has been working closely with East Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership to assess the likely levels of demand for housing for older people. 

In the meantime, to improve safety on site and maintain public access, the council completed necessary grounds maintenance, demolition of non-listed buildings and asbestos removal, as well as installing new security measures to prevent antisocial behaviour.

All views collected or submitted during the three month consultation will be considered prior to a planning application in principle being lodged (likely to be in April 2023). At that point, interested parties will again have the opportunity to comment via the planning process.

Please read the Masterplan proposals in the ‘related’ section below before moving forward to the survey. The proposals have been updated to take account of the comments received to date. Also included below are:

• Herdmanflat consultation common questions and answers
• A survey of the trees at the Herdmanflat Hospital site carried out in September 2021 on the Council’s behalf by Alan Motion Tree Consulting Ltd.
• A community update regarding the enabling works to the Herdmanflat Hosiptal site issued in October 2021 to residents living immediately adjacent to the site