Thursday September 18th 2025
Beach Road, North Berwick
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
Parking meters could appear on the streets of North Berwick early next year if plans are approved by councillors next month.
East Lothian Council’s parking management plans for its main towns have hit set backs after the first project given the green light ended up on hold as on street meters hit problems over planning permission.
In a move which East Lothian Conservative MSP Craig Hoy described as ‘farcical’ 13 applications were lodged with the council’s own planners seeking permission to install meters in the town’s conservation area with five withdrawn – one of them twice – before being resubmitted.
While the council insisted this was ‘normal practice’ in planning it is understood issues were raised about the impact of the meters on some of the town centre’s narrow footpaths.
The delays meant that plans to introduce off street and on street parking charges across the town, due to begin in April this year, were shelved.
At a meeting of the council’s policy and performance committee today the council’s head of infrastructure Tom Reid said the applications are expected to go before a meeting of the local authority’s planning committee next month.
He told the committee: “In terms of North Berwick we are at planning committee, I think in October, and depending on the determination then that would then inform on the implementation dates which we would hope would be early 2026 for on street parking and April 2026 for off street and car parks.”
A council spokesperson confirmed that the applications for the meters had been added to the delegated list which is sent to elected members who are able to call for them to be decided by the committee.
During today’s meeting local North Berwick ward councillor Jeremy Findlay asked for an update on the parking management plans across the county.
Mr Reid said reports on other towns involved were expected to be brought to members for a decision before the end of the year.
He said: “The parking management mission was to take each town independently and go forward to ensure the parking solutions brought forward for each town reflected the needs and were appropriate.
“The level of consultation has been significant and we have spent months and months going round each town making sure the feedback is gathered and everyone has had an opportunity to have their say.
“In terms of Musselburgh, Dunbar and Tranent the level of engagement was substantial. A lot of work was done on that and we are now almost at the point where we will have completed reports ready for senior management and the corporate management team to discuss and the plan is to bring them to council in October.”
He said if approved by elected members it would then go through the process and could be introduced in late 2026 or 2027
He added: “Haddington has been slightly more complicated and, again, the level of engagement has been substantial.
“We are taking a little bit longer to work through that and make sure the recommendations which come to council reflect the feeling within the community. We expect to have that report to come to council in December which would mean implementation, if it went without challenge ,in 2027.”
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