If you have a non working smart meter, we are working with the office of Douglas Alexander – Member of Parliament for East Lothian – to try and get a solution to the connectivity issue within Garvald and Morham. 

To take this forward on your behalf can you forward the following information to: christine.axon@parliament.uk ? The more people that give this information, the better chance of finding a solution.

Here is the information Douglas needs to help take your complaint forward with the Data Communications Company:

• Confirmation of your full name and address
• Current Energy suppliers’ details, both electric and gas if applicable
• Permission for Data Communications Company to contact your supplier on your behalf
• Property construction type

Stantec has been appointed as consultants by East Lothian Council to advise on and conduct Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation for Haddington.

East Lothian Council is proposing to change the parking restrictions in Haddington. At this stage of the process, we are seeking views and suggestions for how to improve the parking in and around Haddington. No order has been drafted yet. This phase of consultation will feed into a decision whether a TRO is necessary and what form that TRO will take.

This first phase of public consultation will be open from 19^th May, closing on 30th June.

To view the consultation materials and the areas under consideration, please go to https://tinyurl.com/EastLothianParking

We have included the following information on the website:

• Maps of the areas under consideration

• Consultation boards

• Leaflet

• FAQ document regarding the proposals
• Survey – this will be an opportunity for you to feed into the TRO process, with your suggestions.

We will also be hosting two events in Haddington during the consultation period where you can view hard copies of these materials and have an opportunity to discuss the parking restrictions within the town with officers from the Council and Stantec.

These events will take place at the following location and times:

• Thursday 12^th June 2025 at Haddington Corn Exchange – 2pm-4:30pm and 6pm-8:30pm.

Following these events, the hard copies of these materials will be available at any East Lothian library.

If you have any questions relating to this phase of consultation, please email Haddingtonparking@eastlothian.gov.uk. We will aim to respond to your query within five working days from receipt of the email.

The EIA regulations allow 30 days for responses to this consultation. Any previous response you have provided will still be taken into account and the closing date for any new submissions you may wish to make is 9 May 2025.

If we have not received your comments, nor any extension request by 9 May 2025 we may assume you have no comments.

Please send your consultation response to EconsentsAdmin@gov.scot

THE ELECTRICITY WORKS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2017

APPLICATION FOR CONSENT UNDER SECTION 36 OF THE ELECTRICITY ACT 1989 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE CRYSTAL RIG SOLAR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE PLANNING AUTHORITY AREAS OF SCOTTISH BORDERS COUNCIL AND EAST LOTHIAN COUNCIL

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Natural Power Consultants Limited on behalf of Fred. Olsen Renewables Limited (“the Company”) has submitted additional information in relation to the above application on which you were consulted previously.

The additional information consists of information on Ground Water Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems (GWDTE). It has also been noted that two figures contained in the EIA Report were not published on the Energy Consents Unit web portal, although they may have been included in some physical hard copies of the EIA Report if you received these. The missing figures are Figure A4.1 and A4.2 contained in Appendix 4.1: East Lothian Consultation.

In accordance with The Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (‘the EIA regulations’) details pertaining to the additional information will be published in the local press, in the Edinburgh Gazette, on the application website and on the Scottish Government Energy Consents website.

The GWDTE information and the two figures (A4.1 and A4.2) referred to in Appendix 4.1: East Lothian Consultation are now available from the Energy Consents portal at https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationDetails.aspx?cr=ECU00004759

Resurfacing works will take place in Garvald between the above dates, weather permitting. The road will be closed to traffic during working hours.

Phase 1 – Western Extent to Burnside Court – Monday 11th to Friday 22nd November

Phase 2 – Burnside Court to Eastern Extent – Monday 25th to Friday 29th November

Cones will be placed in advance, in the relevant area for each phase of the work, and locals are kindly asked to adhere to the restrictions. Diversions will be in place. Parking will also be restricted in the area of Linden Cottage, on the C104, to facilitate the diversions and vehicles turning.

Emergency vehicle access will remain and refuse and recycling will continue to be collected.

For further details on the phases of the work and the areas affected, please see the following link: tellmescotland

Residents without driveways are being offered the opportunity to participate in a trial aimed at piloting a safe method of charging their electric vehicle from home.

While cable protectors have often been used across pavements, it is recognised that these can be untidy and an obstacle for people on foot.

A potential alternative is the use of cable gullies, where the cable is set into a channel cut into the pavement. East Lothian Council is currently running trials to establish their impact and longevity. Cable arms (where the cable is routed over the top of the pavement) are another option, with the council currently exploring the potential for this.

Councillor John McMillan, Cabinet Spokesperson for Environment, Economic Development and Tourism, said:

“As more people switch to electric vehicles, they are discovering the benefits of charging from home. Not only is it much cheaper than charging in public, but they can leave the house every day with a full battery, and most people are unlikely to need to charge anywhere else, unless they are driving on the odd long journey.

For people who don’t have a driveway, or other convenient place to plug in near their house, there are a number of solutions coming forward which could allow them to enjoy these advantages too.

While the council has guidance in relation to cable covers which temporarily run across a pavement, the Highway Code is clear that people should avoid creating a trip hazard and should highlight the presence of cables, such as with the type of cable covers we recommend.

Cable gullies and cable arms offer potential solutions and I would encourage any interested residents to get in touch to see if they could participate in one of our trials.”

Any East Lothian resident who is interested in trialling cross-footway charging options should contact evcharging@eastlothian.gov.uk. Government grants are available for some costs, for some properties.

East Lothian Council will share its findings and the experiences of users and their neighbours with the UK government as they develop the Plan for Drivers: Transition to zero-emission driving. Ultimately, we hope to develop a permit system which will include a site assessment, inspection and maintenance regime.

Stewart Cooper

Service Manager – Communications

Corporate Support

Council Resources

East Lothian Council

Newlands Hill will be discussed by ELC on Tuesday 3rd September by the Planning Department. For those who are interested, it may be possible to view the discussion, either live or after the event, via their Web Portal: Webcast library – East Lothian Council Webcasting (public-i.tv)

Residents will be given an additional opportunity this year to register for a permit to receive collections of garden waste from East Lothian Council. The second registration period of 2024 will be open from 26 August to 6 September.

This follows the first registration period which saw around 19,600 properties being registered to receive a fortnightly garden waste service from July.

The Council is in the process of finalising the routing and schedule for those who have already signed up. Residents who have registered during this period will shortly receive their permit sticker and collection calendars.

Garden waste permits cost £35 per property.

Residents wishing to sign up for the service between 26 August and 6 September will be able to do so online until 3:30pm on Friday 6 September.

Those who sign up during this window will have their collections run from 21 October 2024 to 1 September 2025.

Find out more about garden waste: Brown bin – monthly garden waste collections | Waste and recycling services for households | East Lothian Council

Further updates and reminders will be issued.

ELECTRICITY ACT 1989

THE ELECTRICITY WORKS (ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT) (SCOTLAND) REGULATIONS 2017

APPLICATION FOR CONSENT UNDER SECTION 36 OF THE ELECTRICITY ACT 1989 FOR CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE CRYSTAL RIG SOLAR DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE PLANNING AUTHORITY AREAS OF SCOTTISH BORDERS COUNCIL AND EAST LOTHIAN COUNCIL

Natural Power Consultants Limited on behalf of Fred. Olsen Renewables Limited (“the Company”) has submitted an application under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for the Scottish Ministers’ consent to construct and operate the Crystal Rig Solar electricity generating station on land approximately 13 kilometres (km) south of Dunbar and being an extension to the Crystal Rig Wind Farm. The electricity generating station is within the planning authority areas of both Scottish Borders Council and East Lothian Council. The proposed development would provide up to 27MW of generating capacity from solar panels, and is subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). An EIA report has been produced and will be taken into consideration in determining the application.

In accordance with the Electricity (Applications for Consent) Regulations 1990, and the Electricity Works (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017 (‘EIA regulations’), details of the application have been published in the national and local press. The application and EIA report has been made available by the Company on their application website: https://fredolsenrenewables.com/windfarm-collection/united-kingdom/crystal-rig-solar-farm/

Consultation

Please provide any representations regarding the proposal by 30 August 2024.

The application and all documentation, including the EIA report, can be viewed at https://www.energyconsents.scot/ApplicationDetails.aspx?cr=ECU00004759.

Please submit your response by email to EconsentsAdmin@gov.scot

Read Privacy notice at https://www.energyconsents.scot/Documentation.aspx