Thursday January 29th 2026
Neighbours fear the former nursery site has contaminated land from fly-tipping and frequent rubbish fires.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville
An appeal to allow housing development in a West Lothian village has been rejected by councillors.
The Local Review Body (LRB) was asked to allow planning permission in principle for a site in Westfield after a decision had not been made by planners.
Planning officers said they could not make one because they had no idea how many houses were planned for the site of the former South Logie plant nursery.
The LRB also heard that other required information including flood risk reports. was not available. Other council departments including roads could not make comments based on the information they had received.
Roads and Transportation officers said: “If the proposal is for more than four housing units then an adoptable road will be required. The current proposal to access the site from a private road would not be accepted. “
A planning officer told councillors that further reports had been asked for but not supplied.
Neighbours surrounding the site had raised generic objections, voicing concerns about the unknown number of homes planned as well as plans for the boundary trees which are protected by a TPO.
An agent for Walter Davidson, the applicant, said in a written submission: “The application has not been determined after four months and requests for further information or another withdrawal have instead been made.
“The applicant considers that the time taken to determine the application is unreasonable, as are the requests for additional information beyond what might be reasonably expected for.”
Objectors had raised concern that some of the reports submitted in support were 18 years old. There were new concerns about land contamination from recent rubbish dumping and fires set on the nursery site .
Councillor Willie Boyle withdrew from the meeting, saying he did not have the information he needed to make a decision on whether the appeal should be heard.
“I don’t have enough information in front of me and because of that I can’t make that decision and because I can’t make that decision I can’t sit while you make that decision yourselves,” he told committee chair, Councillor Danny Logue.
Councillor Tom Conn said: “This is an unusual situation. The applicant has asked us to make a determination on the documents he wants to submit. I think officers by putting draft conditions out have tried to be helpful.
“In that situation I find it difficult to agree with them because we don’t know some of the basic information, because the applicant has withheld it from planning officers. The lack of information is purely by the applicant so I would move that we refuse the application on that basis.”
He said that the details of the plans could be contrary to existing planning rules.
Fellow Linlithgow councillor Pauline Orr seconded the motion and the appeal was rejected.
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