Thursday March 5th 2026
Former woodland off Vogrie Road, Gorebridge has been cleared
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A bid to build three new country homes on former woodland on the edge of Gorebridge has been rejected by planners who said the site was ‘too small’.
A report by Midlothian Council officers into the proposals by BFM Developments Ltd revealed the rural site had been woods before it was “cleared, levelled and laid with hardcore” at some point in the last five years without planning permission sought for the change.
The application called for permission for three five-bedroom detached houses on the site with six parking spaces between them with each one single storey with additional accommodation in the roof space.
However planners said the layout provided in the application showed the site was not big enough to accommodate the level of development, along with required private outdoors space and parking spaces.
They also raised concern that it would impact on mature trees remaining on the boundary of the site and raised concerns about the impact of traffic from the houses on the passing road.
They said: “The proposal presents a significant threat to road safety given the poor vehicular and pedestrian access and the remoteness of the site resulting in the majority of trips being made by private car.”
The rural homes were also found to be against the council’s own policy against new housing in the countryside which offers only limited reasons for them.
The officers said the only exemption which could potentially back the plans was if it was a reuse of a brownfield site, but argued this was not the case on the land in question.
They said: “The only one of those limited circumstances that could potentially
provide some support in this case is where the development reuses a brownfield site where a return to a natural state has not or will not happen without intervention.
“The application site was woodland until approximately five years ago when it was cleared, levelled and laid with hardcore and materials appear to be stored on site, which appears to be a recent occurrence for approximately 6 months.
“Permission has not been sought or granted for these works. This is not brownfield land.”
Planners refused permission for the houses.
Tweet Share on Facebook
