Plans for 1,800 home development on West Lothian farmland

A new community with 1,800 homes is being planned for farmland in West Lothian.

The £275m Drumshoreland Garden Community development is proposed for the site of the current Clapperton poultry farm east of Livingston.

Under the application, submitted to West Lothian Council, the farm would be relocated elsewhere in Scotland.

Developers claim it would be a low carbon development across 108 hectares with 450 affordable homes.

Amber REI (Agriculture), which owns the Clapperton site, said the money raised from the project could help fund a £150m investment in Scottish food and agriculture.

It plans to relocate the poultry farm to a new site in West Lothian, upgrade its processing plant at Couper Angus, build a new chicken feed mill in the central belt and upgrade another feed mill on the edge of Edinburgh.

The figure also includes a new Ibis hotel, which is already being built on land near Edinburgh Airport.

Sister company Elan Homes (Scotland) would build the homes if planning permission was granted.

Under the plans there would also be a new park with 19.9 hectares of woodland.

An Amber REI (Agriculture) spokesman said: "This could deliver significant investment not only in West Lothian but across Scotland as a whole.

"As an exemplar low carbon community Drumshoreland will not only deliver much-needed housing, including affordable housing, but employment, education and community facilities in a unique parkland setting. "