Friday October 17th 2025
20 mph speed limit road sign on Dalhousie Road, Dalkeith
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
We asked our readers through a Facebook poll, ‘If you could wave a magic wand, what would you most like to change in Midlothian?’. Gathering around 200 responses with a wide variety of issues being highlighted, we have categorised and put together a list of what our readers believe needs to be improved in their area.
New housing affecting towns’ infrastructure
With many new housing estates being developed across Midlothian, this has put strain on the existing infrastructure such as doctors practices, school and nursery spaces, and travel. Due to the increased flow of people moving into the area, it causes more people seeking these services like GP appointments but one of the most mentioned issues with new housing was the effect it’s having on local travel, especially road congestion.
New housing affecting and taking over green spaces
These new housing developments are being planned and built on wildlife areas and corridors across Midlothian. Alongside the strain on infrastructure, our readers highlighted the effect that building on large green spaces is having on Midlothian and with local campaign groups, such as Save Kippielaw, fighting to save wildlife corridors, this was a shared concern amongst our readers.
Improvements to roads
Overall improvements to roads were highlighted, both issues with potholes and congestion. This congestion was a concern due to the new housing and areas with traffic lights, such as the Hillend Junction.
20mph speed limits across Midlothian
20mph speed limits have been a concern amongst Midlothian residents since they were introduced on the 20th of May, causing a petition to abolish the limits gaining over a thousand signatures. Issues with these limits have arisen due to them being implemented on roads where residents don’t believe they are appropriate.
Lack of high street stores and entertainment
Some readers highlighted that Midlothian’s towns have an extreme lack of shops and entertainment with many highlighting that they need to travel to Edinburgh for a high-quality shopping experience. Alongside this, it was also highlighted that there has to be more shops and services due to the rising population from new housing developments.
Council spending
With the council spending on things such as the 20mph speed limit implementation, many people believe there is an issue with how much and what the Midlothian council spends money on. This was a concern amongst our readers with a belief that the council overspends, spends money on un-needed things and isn’t as transparent with their spending.
Dislike for councillors and council officers
Many replies involved expressions of dislike for members of the council, with one woman pointing out that there are too many ‘career politicians’ and a need for more aspiring empathic leadership.
Cleanliness of streets
It was highlighted that there is an issue in Midlothian with cleanliness and tidiness of the street with a few replies highlighting issues with bins both not being as frequent as needed and that they are too small in size.
Improved bus services
With the recent news surrounding no buses using Straiton Park and Ride, readers highlighted the need for improved bus services across Midlothian and a need for more easily accessible bus stops.
More gyms and fitness spaces
The need for more gyms and fitness-spaces, both council-owned and private, was highlighted. With one reader explaining that there is no decent private gym in Midlothian, the need for more and improved fitness spaces was discussed. Involving more spending from the council, another reader suggested that on-street style gyms, like the many dotted across Edinburgh, would be a positive addition to Midlothian.
More police on the street to combat anti-social behaviour
The need for more police on the streets was highlighted by a few readers, explaining that there is a need for this to combat anti-social behaviour especially amongst youths.
Parking
It was highlighted that there is an issue with parking in town centres with one reply explaining that parking should be free for residents which would cause issues with the lack of foot fall in Midlothians high streets.
More community spaces and improvements to existing ones
Some readers highlighted that there is a need for more community spaces, such as community centres, but alongside this it was also highlighted that existing community centres and hubs need improvements, such as Broomhill Day Centre in Penicuik.
Lack of support for homelessness and addiction
The lack of support for people in Midlothian struggling with addiction was highlighted, with one reader explaining that there is an extreme lack of services for people struggling with addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling. It was also highlighted that there is a lack of support for homeless people in Midlothian.
More support and improvements to schools
With issues surrounding the increasing population due to the new housing developments, an issue that was brought up was the lack of support for Midlothian’s school, especially involving full classrooms and failing facilities. Interestingly, one reader brought up the issue that there needs to be an improvement to school lunches, making them more healthier for school children.
Aside from those points, there were some stand-out issues in the replies.
One reader suggested that an improvement to Midlothian would be to move Penicuik to the Scottish Borders Council area.
Another stand-out reply that would combat the previously discussed youth anti-social behaviour was to implement no free bus passes for people under 16 or only allow free bus travel within school hours.
An extreme need to bring back a sense of community was also highlighted with a few readers discussing that due to the growth of new housing estates, there has been a drifting sense of communities in towns and across Midlothian.
Tying in with town improvements, one reader suggested that Dalkeith Town centre overall needs a complete revamp. Another reader suggested that Jarnac Court in Dalkeith is in extreme need of beinhg improved and with the recent plans of refurbishing Midlothian House and sights for the rest of Dalkeith, this want could be likely.
One reader explained that there is a need for more one to two bedroom flats across Midlothian, rather than new homes. A similar point was also shared by another reader who suggested that more bungalows for older residents need to be built in Midlothian.
Throughout the many suggestions for improvement, a few readers comments stood out:
“More accessible play parks for disabled children and some equipment for disabled adults who may have a younger neurological age and stage of development.”
“Before allowing houses to be built check the nursery spaces. Bilston currently only takes 4 year olds int nursery and are at full capacity.”
“Better community spaces with interesting things to do and cafes for young people.”
“Immediately halt the erosion of green space for housing. The transport infrastructure, health care and police are already at a breaking point and working beyond capacity.”
“Allotments would be good. I think the only ones in Midlothian are in Penicuik.”
“Some green fields back around Danderhall and desperation between villages. It’s all one lump of concrete now.”
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