Special planning guidance adopted for site of historic West Lothian battle
West Lothian Council has issued planning guidance intended for anyone intending to develop land which includes part of the site of the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge.
Planning guidance was approved by Council Executive recently to ensure that any potential developers take account of the sensitive environmental and archaeological issues associated with the historic site when bringing forward proposals for its development.
The Battle of Linlithgow Bridge took place in 1526 and saw the Earl of Angus' army defeat the forces from Earl of Lennox, over an attempt to remove the young King James V from the Douglas family.
The site was allocated for development some time ago in the adopted West Lothian Local Development Plan (2018) as housing site H-LL 13 (Kettlestoun Mains), but an application for planning permission has not yet been submitted.
The council did not propose this site for development when the Local Development Plan was being prepared. It was instead put forward by the landowner and the council were later instructed to include it by the Scottish Government-appointed Reporter as an additional site for housing.
Head of Planning, Economic Development and Regeneration Craig McCorriston said: "Our historic environment is an important part of West Lothian's cultural heritage, and it's vital we take steps to make sure it is protected.
"The principle of housing on the site has already been established, following the Scottish Government Reporter's decision to direct the council to include the site in the Local Development Plan.
"This guidance is a pre-emptive measure to make sure any potential developers of the H-LL13 site, which includes the location of the Battle of Linlithgow Bridge, are aware of the wide range of issues associated with developing such a sensitive location and take these on board when putting together their proposals."
