Councillors on West Lothian Council’s Development Management Committee said they needed more time and more information on the proposals.

Planning permission in principle was granted to Ambassador Group in June 2022 for a 90-ha residential development with retail facilities, food and drink, education, leisure and associated infrastructure in June 2022.

Works have started on the site, initially with the infrastructure and now the construction of houses. Works have also begun on the conversion of the first group of listed buildings.

West Lothian councillors were asked to consider proposals relating to the northern portion of the site, around the recreation ground and the church and over to the western side of the site. They included wards 1 and 2, wards 3 to 6, villa 10 and the former nurses’ block, which are all listed buildings.

The applications included the construction of 395 houses and 82 flats and the conversion of listed buildings to form a further 63 flats.

Taken together with the previously granted permissions, this would bring the total number of units proposed for the site to 976.

Planning officers had recommended permission be granted. The planning report stated that, in summary, the proposals are acceptable in terms of design and layout, will secure the future of a further four listed buildings and will not have any negative impacts on the setting of listed buildings and the Bangour Village Hospital Conservation Area.

Councillors were given a nine-page summary of decisions taken so far for the massive hospital site near Dechmont – with references to other documents available in the council’s planning portal.

SNP members complained that they had not had enough time to research large amounts of documents before being asked to make a decision.

Councillor Willie Boyle told the meeting: “I would like to move that this is continued. We hear the complexities and the amount of work that has gone into this and yet we are presented with it all in nine pages and left to rake through the council planning portal.

“The information required properly for us in the few days that we have had these papers is unacceptable. This needs to be continued and we need a full appraisal of the information that should be in front of us. I think this is dire.

“I don’t think I have had justifiable time to look at this in detail given the size of this development.”

Planning officer Gillian Cyphus acknowledged the size and complexity of the proposals.

In her opening remarks, she told the committee: “This is a joint report which covers six planning applications which together covers the construction of 395 houses, 82 flats and the conversion of four listed buildings to form 63 flats all on the site of the Bangour Village Hospital site near Dechmont.

“The hospital site has an extensive planning history; the most relevant applications are planning permission in principle which was granted in June 2022 and the first detailed application which was granted in July 2023.”

A vote on the motion to delay a decision for a month was won by the SNP by three votes to two.