West Lothian Council election: Rise in traffic from…

West Lothian Council election: Rise in traffic from new developments a big worry

Concerns about the rise in traffic created by new housing developments are among the issues facing voters in the East Livingston and East Calder ward.

The large ward of diverse contrasts stretches from Craigshill, one of the most densely populated parts of Livingston, to rural Harburn and beyond.

The ward consists of Uphall Station, Pumpherston, Craigshill, Mid Calder, East Calder, Kirknewton, Wilkieston and Harburn, occupying the south eastern part of the county.

East Calder is home to another Core Development Area - Calderwood - on its eastern boundary. Almost 3,000 homes will be built eventually. With around one third of that total almost complete the big issues it has thrown up are around the existing infrastructure.

Village residents have already witnessed an increase in traffic through Mid Calder as Livingston residents use the village as a short cut to and from Edinburgh. The A71 is very busy with traffic, and surrounding roads remain largely rural in character, despite fast growing development.

Stirling Developments, which is the main contractor for Calderwood, recently saw its latest proposals to build a park and ride facility next to Kirknewton station rejected.

Councillors have also expressed concern at the loss of countryside as housing development grows. The pressure from house builders in other parts of the ward is acute and other developments recently agreed include a huge wind farm on moorland north of Harburn.

Last year the council agreed to make a bid to have ancient woodlands in the ward nationally recognised

2017 results:

Dave King, Labour: 23.75% FPv (1,749 total)

Damian Timson, Conservative: 22.00% Fpv (1,620 total)

Frank Anderson, SNP: 20.09% Fpv (1,479 total)

Carl John, SNP:13.20% FPv (1,648 total)

2022 Candidates;

A ward with some of the longest serving councillors, the late Dave King and Frank Anderson served on the district council before the current council's inception. Carl John has also been a long time councillor. It was also the ward which elected Damian Timson as leader of the newly formed Conservative group on the council in 2017.

This year, alongside neighbour Livingston South, it will see ten candidates vying for four seats. Frank Anderson was deselected by the SNP, having served as councillor for Craigshill for 34 years. He is instead standing as an independent and will challenge his replacement Veronica Smith for that element of the SNP vote.

Tom Ullathorne hopes to retain the seat he took from Labour following the death of Dave King in East Calder last year.

The candidates:

Frank Anderson, Independent;

Damian Doran-Timson, Scottish Conservative and Unionists;

Neal Drummond, Scottish Green Party;

Robert Durie Howden, Scottish Liberal Democrats;

Ruth Hutchison, Scottish Family Party;

Carl John, Scottish National Party;

Danny Logue, Scottish Labour Party;

Andy Rafferty, Scottish Labour Party;

Veronica Smith, Scottish National Party;

Thomas George Ullathorne, Scottish National Party;