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Winchburgh
This is a very large project of over 3,000 new homes, jobs, an expanded town centre, schools, rail station and motorway junction. PPCA was appointed as lead consultant in 1998 to advise the landowners and then by CALA Homes (East) Ltd in 2004 to provide strategic master planning advice. In late 2007, ownership and control of the land passed to LXB.
The project was identified in the Edinburgh and the Lothians Structure Plan 2004 as potentially part of the key Core Development Area for West Lothian. The project has subsequently been selected in the West Lothian Local Plan and a planning application is now progressing towards determination.
Extensive negotiations with Transport Scotland led them to agree a new motorway junction met national strategic criteria. The junction on the M9 is a necessary prerequisite to substantial development. It is only recently that the proposed connection details of the Forth Replacement Crossing have become known. These show that the Bridge will connect to the M9 separately from the junction for Winchburgh but will allow the Winchburgh new settlement access to the Bridge.
Part of the planning assessment has included a restoration plan for Niddrie Castle oil shale bing – in its day, the largest man-made structure in Europe. The bing is now rapidly being depleted to provide base fill material for roads and other construction and will one day provide a building platform.  Some other local bings are scheduled industrial monuments.