Plans to turn a derelict site at the gateway to Dalkeith into a row of upmarket town houses with their own roof gardens have been lodged with Midlothian planners.
The proposals for the former Lugton Inn site come just months after council workers were sent in to clear it after it was described as an 'eyesore'.
At the time Midlothian councillors asked officers to look into whether they could use a compulsory purchase order to take over the land with the possibility of turning it into a community woodland or amenity space.
However a planning application has now been lodged by Edinburgh-based J and J Property Development to build five townhouses with at least four bedrooms each at the site and their own roof gardens.
The design statement for the housing says 'all the principle rooms have large south facing views with balconies'.
The application states it is a resubmission of plans for five homes at the site, which was initially given the go ahead by the council's Local Review Body back in 2015.
Last November council officers asked a meeting of the local authority's planning committee for permission to give the landowner of the site, on Lugton Brae, notice that unless it was cleared of debris they would carry out the work themselves.
The inn itself was demolished ten years ago and the site was strewn with dumped tyres, lumps of tarmac and broken fencing.
It was described by councillors as an eyesore and permission granted to clear it. Councillors also asked officers to look into the possibility of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) on the land
A council spokesperson confirmed that following the meeting workers went in and cleared the site, billing the owner for the work.
It is understood the possibility of a CPO has not been shelved but is likely to depend on the progress of the current proposals.
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