New additional space for wildlife
Levenhall Links, in Musselburgh, is a rich mix of grasslands, woodland, ponds, artificial wader scrapes and ash lagoons providing a range of habitats for wildlife and roosts for wading and seabirds. The lagoons were created by the deposit of ash from the former Cockenzie Power Station by ScottishPower which successfully reclaimed around 120 ha (300 acres) of land which is now managed by East Lothian Council.
ScottishPower has now appointed an external contractor, I&H Brown, to start work on capping and restoring the two remaining lagoons at the site. These works are being undertaken to ensure regulatory obligations are met.
A ScottishPower spokesperson explained: “This work will provide additional space for wildlife as part of the Levenhall Links recreational area. The work is expected to take around 12 – 18 months, during which time there will be an increase in HGV traffic and footpath diversions will be necessary around the lagoons to ensure public safety. Regular visitors will already be aware of safety fencing which has started to be erected as part of the works. We hope to keep any disruption to a minimum and ask for members of the public to respect the safety measures in place. The Council’s Countryside Services have been fully involved with the final design of the site and are looking forward to seeing the benefits to wildlife for many years to come.”