Road Safety Concerns Emerge Over East Lothian Worker Park-and-Ride Plans

Plans to create a temporary park-and-ride facility for workers involved in a major UK energy infrastructure project in East Lothian are set to be reviewed by councillors following concerns over road safety and traffic impacts.

Metlen Energy and Metals, part of the consortium delivering infrastructure linked to the Eastern Green Link 1 (EGL1) project, has applied for permission to build a 261-space parking facility to transport construction workers to and from the Torness converter station development site each day.

Temporary facility linked to major energy scheme

The proposed car park would support works associated with the £1.6bn Eastern Green Link project — a high-voltage electricity “super highway” connecting East Lothian to County Durham via subsea cables beneath the North Sea.

The temporary park-and-ride is expected to operate for approximately three years, with shuttle buses transporting workers between the site and construction compounds during operating hours stretching from early morning through to evening.

Groundworks for the wider EGL1 scheme began last year, including the development of a converter station and associated substation infrastructure near Torness.

The project is being delivered by a consortium involving GE Vernova and Metlen Energy & Metals under the oversight of SP Energy Networks.

Councillors raise traffic and safety concerns

Despite council officers recommending approval for the application, local concerns over road safety and traffic disruption have prompted the proposal to be formally “called in” for determination by elected councillors.

Councillor Donna Collins said residents, businesses and users of the nearby Spott Road Industrial Estate had raised concerns about increased vehicle movements and safety risks around Queens Road and surrounding routes.

Local community councils have also objected to the plans, citing worries about congestion, vehicle noise and emissions associated with the daily movement of construction workers.

Some objectors additionally questioned whether alternative locations for the facility had been adequately explored.

Strategic infrastructure project

The Eastern Green Link 1 scheme forms part of a wider programme of UK energy network upgrades intended to support the transmission of renewable energy generated offshore and across Scotland.

The two-gigawatt subsea electricity connection will link Torness in East Lothian with Hawthorn Pit in County Durham through approximately 176km of undersea cable infrastructure.

Additional underground cable connections will also be installed between substations, converter stations and coastal landfall sites in East Lothian.

SP Energy Networks has previously described the project as a key component in unlocking the North Sea’s role as a major renewable energy hub.

Planning officers support proposal

In recommending approval, council planning officers noted that the land identified for the temporary car park had already been allocated for employment-related uses within the local development plan.

They acknowledged that while the park-and-ride itself was not directly employment-generating, it played an important supporting role in facilitating delivery of a nationally significant infrastructure project.

Officers also highlighted the wider strategic importance of the EGL1 development in supporting the UK’s long-term energy security and electricity transmission capacity.

Councillors are expected to make a final decision on the application next week.