Go-ahead for first 400 homes at Bangour site
Special efforts to preserve wildlife and renew green space have been agreed by developers of one of West Lothian’s largest housing developments.
The first detailed plans for the redevelopment of the Bangour Village hospital site were agreed last week by the council’s development management committee after housebuilders said they would comply with calls to appoint an ecology officer to oversee work.
The committee agreed to back the initial construction phase of 357 houses and 55 flats on the site close to the listed buildings which have been retained for conversion to homes and part of a new primary school.
The 400 homes will be a mixture of three storey town houses and flats and two storey detached and semi detached houses. The initial build will include 137 affordable homes.
Eventually there will be 998 homes built in the grounds of the former hospital alongside retail and leisure space.
Members of the development team from Ambassador Developments (Bangour) Limited attended the committee and answered questions on a range of details covering the initial construction of 400 homes and wider longer term issues including waste management and cycle and footpath routes across the site.
Leading the developer team Bob Evans told councillors that “tens of millions” had already been invested in the site preparing it for the first bricks to be laid.
Concerns over a traffic increase and its knock-on effect raised by Dechmont Community Council have been allayed by traffic calming measures through the main street of the village which neighbours the hospital site. The developers are also meeting regularly with community council members.
Only one objection, on the grounds of noise, dust and nuisance, was raised by the owners of the cottage nearest to the construction site. They asked the builders to consider more tree planting to screen the site during construction.