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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 2010 ownership of the project transferred to West Coast Capital.
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 has now been approved by the Council (December 2011). It is anticipated that work will begin on key infrastructure and house building this year (2012) following conclusion of a Planning Agreement.
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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.