Bannock Wood

Bannock Wood is allocated for residential development in Midlothian’s Local Development Plan 2017 and our proposals respond to the objectives the plan sets out. Bannock Wood will provide a mix of around 1,000 detached, semi-detached, terraced homes and apartments, 25% of the new homes will be affordable housing.  

We have also made provision for a new primary school, open space and community facilities for the benefit of both residents and the wider community by creating places for sport, social and education activities to merge and the community to socialise. The local community will also benefit from additional communal space which will include land for community growing, large areas of green open space, the integration and enhancement of Little Wood into the overall masterplan, and new footpaths, cycleways and bridleway will connect the development to the local area.

To create a characterful community, the proposed development will be designed to create a sense of place and maximises the latest Scottish Government Planning Policy for Designing Streets. These designs give priority to pedestrians over vehicles through the use of shared surfaces and home zones to create natural areas of focus at key points of the development.

The majority of homes will be two storey, with a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced designs.  We are also proposing some blocks of 3 – 4 storey apartments.

Cycling, walking and horse riding will be encouraged with a network of footpaths and cycleways throughout the development connecting to the existing bridleway and long-distance cycle path, both of which cross the site and will provide easy access to Hopefield and Bonnyrigg nearby. Existing transport links include railway stations at nearby Eskbank and Newtongrange with both just a short drive away, plus the Edinburgh City Bypass is easily accessible. Discussions will be held with local bus operators with the aim of extending the existing service serving Hopefield into Bannock Wood.

To reduce the impact of the proposed development on the existing drainage network we propose the addition of a sustainable urban drainage system. This will be designed to manage the flow of surface water and in certain areas could present an excellent opportunity to support biodiversity enhancement on the development.

Our plans include significant opportunities to enhance the site for local wildlife and measures to enhance biodiversity. These include new bat and bird boxes, a sensitive lighting scheme to respect nocturnal wildlife and the creation of diverse natural habitats for birds. As part of our Environment Strategy, we have committed to increase natural habitats and enhance wildlife by including bug hotels, hedgehog highways and encouraging our customers to also create more nature friendly gardens to support bees and pollinating insects.  

Developer Contributions are the means by which Local Authorities secure funding to mitigate the impact of new housing development on existing services and communities. Bannock Wood will make land available for a new primary school/ community facilities and  financial contributions to Midlothian Council to help fund their delivery. Additional financial contributions will be made towards secondary education, the A7, as well as bus service improvements and the Border’s Rail link. Land will also be provided for around 250 new affordable homes.

We have completed a full programme of community engagement including workshops and the establishment of a Community Liaison Forum to ensure there was a platform to discuss our proposed development with local community groups, elected members and other key stakeholders. The views discussed during the consultation were informative and helped greatly in shaping our masterplan ahead of our application for planning permission.
 
Our local community consultation event gave us an opportunity to share our proposals for the development with members of the public, and to listen to their views as the plans for this key development evolved.

Our plans include land for community growing, large areas of green open space, and the integration of Little Wood into the overall masterplan at Bannock Wood. There will also be new footpaths and cycleways to connect the development to the local area, which encourages residents and their families to meet neighbours and friends which will help to foster a vibrant new community.

Our plans include a new primary school, open space and community facilities to benefit residents and the local people by creating places for sport, social and education activities to merge and the growing community to socialise. We are including Little Wood into our overall development, which is a well-established tranquil green space that offers woodland walks and the chance to be close to nature. We are also planning to provide communal space, including land for community growing, large areas of green open space to play as well as new footpaths and cycleways to connect the development to the local area.