Caledonian Trust wants to demolish an existing shed and deliver six houses, garages and an access road on the brownfield infill site off Melville Road in Eskbank.

The land was previously used as railway sidings and storage for the adjoining Glenesk mine. More recently it has been used as a storage yard and compound by main contractor BAM Nuttal during the construction of the Borders Railway line.

A planning application for six houses was submitted in June 2017. This application was withdrawn at the request of Midlothian Council as information on noise and vibration from the adjacent railway required to be updated and information on the ground conditions was also requested. Work to provide this information is now complete and the resultant reports form part of the new application.

Caledonian Trust has included the acoustic fencing in its planning application and acknowledged that the houses would be the first thing people entering Eskbank from the south see.

In its application, Caledonian Trust has included the required acoustic fencing and said a stone wall at the front will be rebuilt as part of the development with semi-mature trees planted to maintain an already established ‘green’ gateway into the community.

The trust added: “It is recognised that this site is visually prominent and this will be the first building group visible when entering Eskbank from the south.

“Numerous trees are located on the land surrounding the site which combine to provide a visually attractive ‘green’ entrance into Eskbank.

“These new trees, coupled with new hedging, will ensure that the development is partially screened while being integrated into the landscape, resulting in an attractive ‘green’ appearance to the entrance into Eskbank.”