A footpath around the edge of a town’s football ground is set to be built to help elderly residents of a care home get to local shops and services.
Tynebank Road is home to Haddington Athletic FC’s home ground Millfield as well as Haddington Care Home, but has had a long stretch with no pavement for years despite being used regularly by residents of all ages to get into the town centre.
Now East Lothian Council has applied for permission to create a new footpath and road crossing to link the care home to the centre of town running around the football grounds, to avoid removing any hedgerow.
The council said it had received funding from Scottish charity Paths For All to allow the new route to be built and designed it to have minimal impact on the hedges and trees which line the road and the Hi-His ground.
A spokesperson said: “We have applied for planning permission to develop a new footpath, fencing and lighting at Tynebank Road connecting Mill Wynd to Meadowpark in Haddington.
“The proposed path will run alongside Haddington Athletic grounds and the sports pitches providing a safe and accessible surface, separate from the road, with a crossing point outside Haddington Care Home linking it to the existing footpath.
“The project is being fully funded through Paths for All and, subject to planning approval, we hope that work will start in February 2025.
“A construction process has been agreed which will have minimal impact on the trees. The hedgerow at Tynebank Road will remain in place with only a small section of hedge removed on Mill Wynd to accommodate the crossing point.”
The plans have been lodged on the council’s planning portal for comment.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
