Proposals to build housing on the site of a former meat processing plant have been put on hold for two months as developers were asked to rethink the design.
Councillors on West Lothian’s Development Management committee today listened to concerns from neighbours of the former abattoir site who say that a tree belt would disappear and be replaced with social housing looking down into their gardens.
One resident from Birniehill Crescent in Bathgate said the new homes would loom over the houses and back gardens in his street because the land was higher than their back gardens.
READ MORE: Angry West Lothian neighbours say new flats will 'destroy their privacy'
Eight new homes would form the boundary to the existing properties, where at the moment it is woodland.
The brownfield site in Whitburn Road, Bathgate was home to a long demolished abattoir.
It has been designated for housing development and up to 180 homes could be built on the site.
The developers, an Irish based firm called Urban Life (Manchester) Ltd, propose building 154 homes and 12 flats on the site. Planners had recommended the development would go ahead, with conditions.
However after listening to neighbours of the site express fears about loss of privacy some councillors asked about the nature of the design and why the social housing element was dotted along the edge of the site .
Councillor Pauline Clark suggested to Ewan McIntyre, architect and agent for the firm, that redesigning the plan to put larger homes on the edge would mean fewer gardens being bounded by new homes.
Under the existing plan five existing homes will be bounded by eight new homes.
Mr McIntyre explained that locating social housing closest to amenities and bus travel to the town centre was standard practice, as was the grouping of the affordable homes together in one part of the site for better management by the registered social landlord.
Council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick expressed dismay at the planner’s report dismissing the Scots Pine plantation which acts as a boundary to Whitburn Road.
"It's sad to hear our national tree being described as being of low value," he told the meeting.
The plan shows the tree belt planted more than 50 years ago as screening for the abattoir would be felled as part of the development. The builders say 151 new trees would be planted by way of compensation.
Local councillor Willie Boyle expressed concerns about the location of a multi-use games area (MUGA) pitch and play area away from the centre of the site and on the boundary of the development.
Other objectors stressed that, while they had nothing against the site being developed for housing, many had agreed to one plan only to see different plans coming up for recommendation. Mr McIntyre conceded that updated plans had not been discussed with neighbours of the site.
Councillor Boyle agreed that he did not want to reject housing proposals and proposed a motion which asked the developers to look again at elements including the site of the play areas and the social housing.
Councillor Fitzpatrick asked if consideration could be given to the partial retention of the Whitburn road trees.
The committee agreed to postpone a decision for two months.
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