Monday November 24th 2025
Rosewell, Midlothian
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A bid to build six new detached houses on a former walled garden grounds in the Midlothian countryside has been criticised for being ‘too suburban’ by planners.
The proposals for land currently used as an industrial site at Rosewell, have been rejected after concerns were raised about the size of the land being used, the ‘non traditional’ brick material included in the design and the ‘creeping suburbanisation’ of the countryside.
A report by council planning officers into the plans said the local authority in general had a policy to prevent “the creeping suburbanisation of the countryside which is under significant pressure due to the convenient commuting distance to Edinburgh”.
And while they acknowledged there were some exemptions which would allow new housing in the countryside, they said the application for the site at Whitehill Road, did not meet them.
Instead they questioned whether the land proposed for the houses was big enough to accommodate them all and criticised their look.
The report said: “The site plan shows six plots, access and parking, however the actual developable area of the site is too small to accommodate this scale of development.
“The proposed layout is very suburban, dominated by houses, garages and
hardstanding for parking areas and access. This does not respect or reflect the rural surroundings or special landscape area.
“The development is hard up to the site boundaries with limited room for landscaping to integrate this into the sensitive surrounding area and will also result in the loss of existing landscaping to accommodate this. The proposal is a relatively dense layout which is not appropriate for the rural setting.”
Applicants had submitted a design statement arguing the change of use from industrial workshops on the site to residents would be “positive
for brownfield development and compatible with the residential surroundings”.
They said the new house plans would retain the wall of the former walled garden at the site as well as providing accommodation to help with the declared housing emergency.
However planners refused permission saying the housing did not deliver sustainable homes in the right location, involved the loss of trees including some ancient woodland and did not meet its criteria for building new housing in the countryside.
They added: “The layout is of suburban design and character which does not respect, reflect or enhance the surrounding countryside or special landscape area.”
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