Templars Court

Ten years after the first residents moved into Templars Court, the High Street frontage remains unfinished. The development began in 2011 when McCarthy and Stone applied to build 41 flats. Linlithgow Community Council did not oppose the principle of the proposal but raised concerns about parking and wider local impacts. In 2013, West Lothian Council granted planning permission without referring the application to the Planning Committee, meaning the Community Council had no opportunity to speak formally on its concerns.

The consent required the frontage building to be retained until a contract was in place for the whole development, including its replacement. However, the former bus station offices were partly demolished in 2013 without a building warrant. During demolition and later foundation works, movement occurred in the neighbouring building, leading to stabilisation works and delays. By 2017, McCarthy and Stone stated that ground conditions made it unlikely the frontage building could proceed and proposed leaving the area grassed over. This was rejected by local councillors and the Community Council as unacceptable within the Linlithgow conservation area.

The Community Council has since pursued options to complete the frontage as seven social housing apartments for older people. West Lothian Council has indicated that it has no interest in acquiring the site and sees no effective action it can take. However, it later emerged that engineers had already designed a foundation and structural solution, approved through building warrants in 2016. The Community Council believes the failure to complete the frontage has therefore left Linlithgow with a gap in the High Street and a loss of potential housing.

Templars Court Event History