Gavieside Village

West Lothian

A Sustainable New Community

Introduction

Welcome to our Consultation Website.

Persimmon Homes are working on bringing forward proposals at Gavieside Farm, West Calder, West Lothian for new housing and ancillary uses.

The consultant planning and design team have prepared initial information to outline development proposals to enable the local community to comment as part of a pre-application public consultation process following submission of a Proposal of Application Notice to West Lothian Council (ref.0704/PAC/23).

The proposals are summarised below along with an explanation of the consultation process.

We look forward to engaging with you during this process and answering queries you may have.

UPDATE 25th October 2023: Thanks to all who participated in the first consultation event on 13th September. Updated information has now been prepared for a second consultation event to be held on Tuesday 7th November at the same venue (West Calder Community Centre).

UPDATE: JANUARY 2025

The design team have been developing the Gavieside masterplan during 2024 alongside the detailed design application for the Cleugh Brae site adjacent to West Calder rail station.  An application for full planning permission for Cleugh Brae and an application for planning permission in principle (with masterplan) for the Gavieside site were submitted to West Lothian Council at the end of January 2025.

Please refer to the Planning Applications section below for more information.

UPDATE: JULY 2026

Following a lengthy period of discussions with all parties and input from a wide range of Council officers and key stakeholders, Persimmon Homes and Andrew Graham & Sons received committee ‘minded to grant’ for Planning Permission in Principle for the Gavieside project on 17th June 2026. The application for mixed-use development including housing, neighbourhood centre, site for primary school, employment uses and open space with associated transportation, drainage and landscape infrastructure was supported by WLC Planning Committee members and is subject to completion of a Section 75 legal agreement to secure associated contributions to affordable housing delivery, school capacity enhancements, cemetery provision, public art, A71 bus priority measures, public and school transport measures and healthcare provision.

It is hoped that the legal agreement and subsequent formal approval can be reached within the next few months to allow detailed designs for Phase 1 to progress.

PROPOSAL & BACKGROUND

Persimmon Homes are bringing forward new plans for a proposal incorporating housing, neighbourhood centre, primary school and employment and covers two sites within an area allocated for development in the Adopted West Lothian Local Development Plan.

The proposal site is located to the north of West Calder and west of Livingston. The site forms two areas - Gavieside Farm, which extends west from the Kirkton Campus / Alba Campus area of Livingston and is bisected by the B7015 Fauldhouse to Livingston road. This area forms farmland bound by the River Almond to the north, Breich Water to the west, West Calder Burn and woodland to the east and West Calder to the south. The second area - Cleugh Brae - adjoins West Calder rail station with the village bounding the south/west, the West Calder Burn bounding the north and the route of a new link road forming the eastern edge. The red line boundary is illustrated above.

The main Gavieside Masterplan Area is to be brought forward via an application for Planning Permission in Principle which will include housing, the new neighbourhood centre, primary school, employment uses, new parkland and associated roads, paths and drainage infrastructure.

The Cleugh Brae site is to be brought forward via a detailed planning application and will including housing, a new junction at the A71 and a park and ride car park beside West Calder rail station.

As you may be aware, a previous public consultation was carried out for the site in 2017 which led to an application for planning permission in principle by Springfield Homes for the whole area in 2018. Since then, Springfield’s Option agreement has expired and not been extended by the landowner.

The landowner, the Graham Family, have now selected Persimmon Homes as preferred developer for Gavieside and Persimmon Homes now wish to undertake a fresh public consultation ahead of new planning applications as set out above.

The proposals broadly mirrors that previously submitted with the main difference being the two application approach which it is considered will deliver early significant improvements at the West Calder end of the development area which will include a new junction off the A71 providing access to a new park and ride car park at West Calder rail station alongside new market and affordable homes.

The proposed application will address wider improvements required by the Adopted Local Development Plan with a masterplan for the wider Gavieside site including a new neighbourhood centre and site for a primary school alongside transport improvements.

Persimmon Homes invite the local community to comment on proposals as part of this pre-application consultation process outlined below.

ONLINE PRESENTATION

The consultation process which includes two public drop-in events is outlined below but for ease of access, the presentation material can be downloaded by clicking on the text below (updated 11th September with new indicative school position). NOTE: Information below includes display material from the first consultation event plus a further Masterplan developed for the Gavieside site and a detailed site layout for Cleugh Brae. We look forward to discussing the proposals further at our event on the 7th November.

Gavieside & Cleugh Brae Pre-Application Consultation

Gavieside Masterplan - Second Pre-Application Consultation

Cleugh Brae Consultation Site Layout - Second Pre-Application Consultation

Consultation Process

Two public drop-in consultation events will be held to discuss the proposals with the local community.

The first event is planned for Wednesday 13th September from 2pm-8pm at West Calder Community Centre, Dickson Street, West Calder EH55 8DZ. This will include the display material (which can also be downloaded above) with Persimmon Homes and members of their design team available to answer queries. The purpose of the initial consultation is to set out the proposal in outline and explain the changes since previous proposals for the land. The event has been advertised via a Public Notice in the West Lothian Courier, leaflet drop to local area and direct contact with local community councils, local councillors and MSPs.

A second event will be held on Tuesday 7th November (2pm-8pm) at the same venue. This will be advertised again prior to the event.

Feedback and queries can be provided in a number of ways:

  • via printed flyer/questionnaires available at the events and handed back on the day

  • via online questionnaire below - results will be collected and reviewed after the event

  • via email to david@pegasusconsultancy.co.uk

  • via post to Pegasus Consultancy Ltd, Scott House, 10 South St Andrew Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AZ

  • via local community councils or local councillors

Once you have had a chance to read through the information please provide your feedback and comments on the first event by Wednesday 27th September. These will then be reviewed and can be further addressed via the second consultation event.




Online Questionnaire and Feedback Form

Please provide your comments below - survey will go live on 7th November with responses sought by 21st November.

Consultation now closed - thanks for your feedback.




PLANNING APPLICATIONs

Cleugh Brae

A full planning application was submitted to West Lothian Council at the end of January 2025.

Site layout design has been progressed following initial public consultation and pre-application consultation with West Lothian Council officers.  Key elements include:

·       A formal, equipped Local Park in the centre of the site which will serve not only new homes at Cleugh Brae but the local community. Additional greenspaces on western, northern and eastern edges of site to create new amenity  

 ·       184 new houses and 30 new apartments with a range of housetypes including 53 affordable homes to be delivered by Persimmon’s partner Registered Social Landlord.

 ·       First phase of a new park and ride car park with space to expand, alongside space for bus interchange/drop-offs and cycle storage with a link to the rail station.

 ·       Path links through the site from Cleugh Brae in west to the A71 in the east.

 ·       New priority junction on the A71 to provide access – this replaces previous roundabout proposal as a more efficient approach which will enable a longer term upgrade to a roundabout once the larger Gavieside site is at a more advanced development stage.

A full suite of documents including all design, housetype, landscape and engineering drawings and supporting assessments will be available to view on the West Lothian Council Planning Portal once the application is registered.

 

Gavieside

An application for planning permission in principle (with design framework/masterplan) was submitted to West Lothian Council at the end of January 2025.

The design framework provides a long-term strategy for a mixed-use development including:

·       Around 2,800 new homes (full range of housetypes provided to create mixed community) including 25% affordable housing provision.

 ·       A Neighbourhood/Village Centre located in the centre of the site close to the existing Gavieside Farm on either side of the B7015 – this will include  new public space, up to 2,500m2 space for local retail, up to 2,000m2 space for other uses such as cafes, nursery, gym, offices etc within a mix of stand-alone units and ground floor units with apartments above.

 ·       A site for a care home, located adjacent to the park and village centre

 ·       A new Gavieside Primary School, located close to the village centre on the north side of the B7015, to be operational by the end of the first phase of new homes with space to expand to cater for the whole site.

 ·       Around 8 hectares of employment land for Class 4, 5 and 6 uses (office, storage, distribution).

 ·       A new Neighbourhood Park plus a network of Local Parks, linear parks, amenity space and blue-green drainage infrastructure, with links to surrounding path network.

 ·       Roads/active travel infrastructure including a new path route between Gavieside Village centre and West Calder Rail Station, new Gavieside Bridge on B7015 (old bridge retained for cycle/walking route), a new public transport and cycle/walking link to MacIntosh Road, a realigned Mossend Road and Stepend junction and new link road between Mossend and the A71 in latter stages of development.

A full suite of documents will be available to view on the West Lothian Council Planning Portal once the application is registered.

Further updates will be provided during the planning application process.

CONTACT DETAILS & design team

For feedback and questions please contact:

David Howel, Director, Pegasus Consultancy Ltd - Planning Consultant on behalf of Persimmon Homes

T 07817-295619

E david@pegasusconsultancy.co.uk

P Pegasus Consultancy Ltd, Scott House, 10 South St Andrew Street, Edinburgh EH2 2AZ

W www.pegasusconsultancy.co.uk

Persimmon Homes design team includes the following:

Architects/Masterplanners - Collective Architecture

https://www.collectivearchitecture.com/

Environmental Impact Assessment & Ecology - ITP Energised

https://www.itpenergised.com/

Landscape Assessment & Design - LUC

https://www.landuse.co.uk/

Transport Assessment

https://modustransportsolutions.co.uk/

Engineers - geotechnical

http://www.davidrmurray.co.uk/

Engineers - civils

https://dougallbaillie.com/

Flood Risk Assessment - Kaya Consulting

https://www.kayaconsulting.co.uk/

Noise & Air Quality Assessment - The Airshed

https://www.theairshed.com/

Your Information

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