Work due to start on Herdmanflat phase one development

Preparatory works have started on the Herdmanflat site in Haddington.

Cruden has been appointed main contractor by the council’s development partner Hub South East. The preparatory works will include tree protection measures and the installation of Heras fencing.  We are aiming to start main construction work on the site around 29 September. Once these have begun, members of the public will no longer be able to access the site until phase one construction work is complete, for safety reasons. 

Planning permission in principle was granted in November 2024 for 145 units of affordable housing for older people on the site. The development includes the construction of new homes and the conversion of existing buildings in later phases. An active travel link to the A199, new pedestrian access points and open spaces including woodland walks, a SUDS drainage system, tree removal and compensatory planting, biodiversity planting and woodland play locations all form part of the first phase of development. 

This first phase, which was approved by Planning Committee in May this year, will be in the southern section of the site and will feature four three-storey buildings and one two-storey building, accommodating 51 homes. The units are all designed for an ageing population including dementia friendly design, and all 51 homes have been designed to be accessible to wheelchair users if ever required, and to be easily adaptable in the future to suit individual tenant needs. There will be 30 one bedroom and 21 two-bedroom homes. Each of the four blocks will have access to a private courtyard garden space and clothes drying area as well as bin, cycle and mobility scooter facilities. 

The new homes will deliver a 64% reduction in carbon emissions, with each flat provided with its own air source heat pump and mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system.

The council purchased the site from NHS Lothian in April 2020, with support from the Scottish Government, when the hospital’s services moved to the new East Lothian Community Hospital.

Phase One is expected to be complete around March 2027.