Isolated cottage risks being flooded with 1,000 new-build homes amid 'nightmare' plans

An isolated cottage is at risk of being flooded with 1,000 new-build homes amid “nightmare” housing plans.

Stan and Margot Gowrie, both 73, have lived in a secluded countryside collage in Mayfield, near Edinburgh for half a century, but are faced with being surrounded by a new build development after plans were lodged with the local authority.

The couple purchased their cottage when they were just 23 years old and newly married, drawn to the location by its peace and open rural surroundings.

The fields which once stretched around them and afforded views for miles in every direction could soon be replaced by 926 new homes proposed by construction company Barratt Redrow.

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The couple say the development will leave them completely surrounded, with building work expected on all sides of their property and lasting up to 10 years, the Daily Mail reports.

Mr Gowrie said: "We will be surrounded to the side, to the back and to the front. It's a constant worry."

He recalled when they first moved in, the road outside the cottage was barely used, with only the occasional car passing by.

He said: "In those days it was very quiet — the road in front of our house had the odd car going along it.

“All the extra traffic is going to be passing my house. It's just going to be terrible."

The road directly outside the cottage is expected to serve as the main access and exit route for the entire development, meaning thousands of vehicle movements a day could pass their front door.

Beyond the noise and disruption, the couple are worried about what the plans will do to the value and saleability of their home.

Mr Gowrie said: "People say, 'well, why don't you just move?' But who's going to buy the house knowing that there's going to be 1,000 houses built around the building? I don't think anybody would."

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The proposals were first submitted several years ago before being revised and agreed in principle in 2023, but were delayed again last week following a meeting of Midlothian Council's planning committee.

Councillors deferred a decision on the applications after raising concerns about a number of "unanswered questions" about infrastructure work which would need to be completed before building could begin.

A council spokesman said members had decided to hold a dedicated workshop, preferably involving the developers, to examine the factors of infrastructure, facilities and impact before determining the applications.

Barratt Redrow said it was liaising with the council and aimed to maintain a constructive dialogue with officers and members, Edinburgh Live reports.

The Gowries' situation has attracted significant sympathy from local residents and social media users, many of whom have rallied around the couple online.

One neighbour who frequently passes the cottage wrote that the couple were "right to be angry", adding: "Every time I drive past your cottages, I think how lucky you are to have that fabulous view."

Another resident on the same road said they regularly saw deer and other wildlife near their home and feared the area simply would not cope with the addition of 1,000 houses.

A third commentator expressed scepticism that the planning process would make any difference.

They said: "Does not make any difference how many consultations and meetings they have, they have made up their minds and will go ahead. It happens all over."

"Don't know why they bother holding consultations — it still goes ahead regardless of how many objections they get,” they added.

The Gowries' cottage sits in Mayfield, a settlement in Midlothian on the southern outskirts of Edinburgh, in an area that has seen significant pressure for new housing development in recent years.

Scotland, like much of the UK, is facing a housing shortage, with developers increasingly targeting greenfield and rural sites on the edges of towns and cities to meet demand.

The planning committee's decision to defer rather than approve or reject the application means the Gowries face further months of uncertainty before their fate is decided.

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