ID Stoneyburn Ltd had applied for outline consent to develop 44 acres on the western edge of Stoneyburn/Bents on what is currently open farmland and woods.

The plans attracted dozens of objections, including many from people who bemoaned the development’s impact on green space surrounding the nearby Garden City.

Garden City in Bents, next to Stoneyburn, was built in the years before the First World War as part of a scheme which aimed to make good quality housing affordable to all classes. The green space surrounding the area would disappear as part of the new plan, Edinburgh Live has reported.

There are sites in Stoneyburn, at the eastern end of the village already earmarked by West Lothian Council for homes. The land surrounding Bents is designated as countryside.

Councillor Pauline Clark said there was a need for housing in villages such as Stoneyburn but sites had been earmarked and the housing that was needed was social housing.

Fellow local member Councillor David Dodds recommended refusal, and Councillor Clark seconded the motion.

Councillor Willie Boyle voiced doubts about refusal and highlighted concerns for balance in development, away from the narrow M8 corridor, to breathe life into the county’s villages.

One of the keystones of the applicants’ argument had been that the council had not set enough land aside for housing demand across the county. This argument is common from housing developers and is something the council disputes regularly when objecting to new greenfield development. Planning officers reiterated their own objections to this argument.