Local Development Plan

East Lothian Council has been working in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Lothian Drainage Partnership, SEPA, Scottish Water and Scottish Natural Heritage to prepare a document called the ClimatEvolution Vision and Action Plan. This document is a place-based response to East Lothian Council's Climate Change Strategy approved by Cabinet on the 21st January 2020, and interacts with the existing communities of Tranent, Prestonpans, Cockenzie and Port Seton and Longniddry and Macmerry. The aim of the ClimatEvolution Vision and Action Plan is to ensure that a major area of development in the county can become a national example of environmentally-friendly and inclusive development. The ClimatEvolutuon Vision and Action Plan will, once finalised, form Supplementary Planning Guidance to the Local Development Plan 2018. Potential projects for the area contained in the ClimatEvolution Vision and Action Plan include:           

• new transport hubs linking rail, road, cycling and walking
• facilities linked to the transport hubs detailing the history of the area including the Battle of Prestonpans, which may attract tourism
• outdoor leisure facilities
• climate resilient planting programme
• use of underground water, including mine water, to create geothermal energy 

Following the decision by Councillors to support the recommendations in the report to East Lothian Council on 26th May 2020 (COVID-19 Emergency Recess), the Council ran a public consultation that aligned with the Council's National Development bid submitted in April 2020. The public consultation asked all interested parties for their views on all or part of the strategy, which focuses on:

• Access and Movement
• The Water Environment
• Culture, Heritage and Leisure
• Greenspace and Biodiversity
• Strong Communities, Regeneration and Enterprise

The ClimatEvolution Vision and Action Plan document is accompanied by a draft Environmental Report and draft Habitats Regulations Appraisal.

Introductory video on the ClimatEvolution vision and action programme (2 minutes long):

Watch a longer video explaining the background to and detail of the ClimatEvolution proposals on YouTube