A £22.4 million plan to build a care home and affordable housing alongside a children's nursery and vets on 'disused' land has been thrown out by Midlothian councillors.
The proposal first went to public consultation last year on behalf of Pentland Park Marine Ltd, which made its case for using land next to Straiton retail park and adjoining the junction of the A701 and Pentland Road.
But while Midlothian Council planners said nearly two-thirds of the site was designated countryside, the developer argued it was "fallow land" which had lain empty for 50 years.
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And they said the The New Pentland project would create hundreds of jobs and provide much needed community services as well as home for local residents later in their lives.
The original plan put out for consultation for the land included a hotel and food retail units, however it was a revised version, which went to the council's planning committee today.
In June an application for an Aldi store on the site, which developers said was part of the overall masterplan, was approved by councillors despite the land being classed as countryside by officers.
One ward councillor at the time questioned whether describing the land as countryside was "quite true" while another described the land as "not of any particular landscape value."
The revised application for planning permission in principle included a veterinary surgery and children's nursery, affordable housing, amenity space, a nursing home and extra care flats and housing.
A report to the council's planning committee today said the project had received seven objections, two letters of support and one neutral comment.
Planners recommended the application for refusal saying the 67 per cent of it which was in the countryside was "not for the furtherance of an established rural use and will not be of a rural scale and character."
They added that part of the site within the built up area of Loanhead would "create a scale and density of development that will have a significant detrimental impact on the character and amenity of the surrounding area."
The landowner had said in a supporting statement for the New Pentland project that the plan was to "revitalise a piece of land that has been lying unused and of no practical use to the community for over 50 years."
They said of their proposal: "The community is at the heart of the plans and there has been considerable consultation with local groups and residents throughout this process.
"The preferred proposal includes a care home as well as retirement/assisted living accommodation.
"Families have put down roots in the area and these later-inlife homes will allow local people, particularly in the Pentland and Nivensknowe Parks to remain in their own communities, near to family and friends."
They added: "On top of the green and community agenda there is an economic boon associated with the proposals.
"In simple monetary terms, this amounts to a capital investment in the local area of £22.4 million with the proposals supporting 172 jobs during the construction phase and 133 new direct jobs and an estimated
33 indirect jobs on completion."
The planning committee unanimously decided to refuse the application.
A spokesperson for the landowner said:: "We are extremely disappointed with this decision.
"Our proposals were part of an overall masterplan that included the Aldi Food Store, which was approved under the same land use restrictions at the council's last planning committee meeting.
"It also included a range of development possibilities that unfortunately weren't discussed at this meeting.
"Our application included a suite of technical reports, one of which addressed the issue of land stability, and all of which confirmed this was a technically sound proposal that could be delivered.
"These plans were community-led to enhance the local environment and were also designed to bring significant economic benefit to the area from a capital investment of over £22 m. We feel this is a missed opportunity for local residents and will now consider whether or not to appeal."
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