Friday October 23rd 2026
Home owner on Dunbar Road, Haddington, has challenged refusal of permission to build house in garden
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Councillors have rejected claims a new house would be ‘crammed’ into the garden of an existing home after visiting the site in person.
East Lothian Council planners refused permission in principal for the planned four bedroom home in Haddington saying it would be ‘harmful and at odds’ with the area.
However the applicant appealed to the council’s Local Review Body saying the new house would be similar to other infill properties built in the cul de sac on Dunbar Road in the town.
And he said it would be built in place of outbuildings which had been used as part of a dog boarding business making the space more ‘working land’ than a domestic garden.
Planners rejected the application saying: “By its positioning and the higher density of built form that would result from it, a house erected on the application site would be a substantial intrusion into its constricted setting and would amount to a crammed form of infill housing development harmfully at odds with the predominant streetscape pattern and density of the layout of the houses and gardens of this part of Dunbar Road.”
At a meeting of the review body today councillors who attended a site visit said it had been ‘useful’ in helping them decide to approve the appeal.
Councillor Shona McIntosh told the meeting: “It was useful to go to the site and in doing so I cannot agree with planning officers comments that it would be crammed or intrusive.
“I think infill sites should generally be encouraged where there is good transport links and the space is there to accommodate them.”
Fellow review body member Councillor Colin McGinn agreed saying: “The site visit was very informative, I think the site lends itself to this planning application.”
The review body agreed unanimously to overturn the planners decision and grant permission in principal for the new house.
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