Thursday August 31st 2023
Old Craighall Road will close as part of work by developer Cala Homes on a new 620-home site on land at Newton and Wellington Farms, located between Old Craighall and Millerhill.
A temporary bus service for residents affected by the decision to close a busy road for 12 weeks will start operating on Monday after a late bid to keep it open was blocked at a meeting of Midlothian Council.
Old Craighall Road will close as part of work by developer Cala Homes on a new 620-home site on land at Newton and Wellington Farms, located between Old Craighall and Millerhill.
The controversial closure has sparked criticism on social media and at a meeting of Midlothian Council on Tuesday, Councillor Stevie Curran tried to bring an urgent motion to stop it.
However a request for his motion to be included on the agenda was refused by Provost Debbi McCall who has the authority to decide the urgency of a motion if it is presented less than three days before a meeting.
Following the meeting Councillor Curran criticised the decision saying his motion had called for the road closure to be refused and Cala Homes to be ordered to find an alternative solution.
He said: “To my astonishment, the Midlothian Provost refused to hear the motion, despite there being no other motions on the agenda.
“I am unsure on what basis the motion was declined, no explanation was given. There is no doubt this was an urgent matter for our communities affected by this closure.”
Mr Curran said he has now submitted the motion to be heard at the next council meeting on October 10th adding “I hope council officers respect the democratic process and pause any closure pending the outcome of the meeting.
“Our communities should not be subjected to such major long term (18 months) disruption to our road network.”
East Lothian bus company Prentice of Haddington will operate the new temporary 151 bus route, during the closure of the road, which will run from Millerhill to Musselburgh for locals living in Old Craighall, Millerhill, Newton Village and Danderhall while Old Craighall Road is shut.
Cala Homes said it had funded the temporary service which will charge users the standard £2 fare they would have paid on the normal bus route.
Derek Lawson, Strategic Land Director with Cala Homes (East), said: “We recognise the need for locals to be connected to public transport during this maintenance period.
“We have collaborated with Prentice of Haddington to ensure these needs are met for the local communities most impacted by the temporary closure.”
Old Craighall Road is to be upgraded by Cala with the introduction of a new road and footways, lighting, drainage, and pedestrian crossings, making the route safer for families and road users.
A local footpath diversion will be in place to ensure connectivity between Millerhill and Old Craighall is maintained.
A spokesperson for Prentice said: “We hope our temporary service will provide people with reassurance and peace of mind over the next 12 weeks.”
Information and updates will be available on Cala’s website.
Map of bus diversions as Old Craighall Road is closed for 12 weeks.
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