The first new Council properties on the Longniddry South development have been handed over to us by Cruden Homes and one tenant has said his new flat will make ‘a massive difference’.
Longniddry South, also known as Longniddry Village, is the Cruden development south of the train station, off the Coal Road. 31 properties are being built here on behalf of the Council, with three houses and four flats now occupied.
Hugh Currie, 56, has just moved into his two-bedroom flat, having stayed with his parents for three years before spending three months in shared temporary accommodation in Wallyford when his parents moved into sheltered housing. He said: “Although I felt safe and secure in the temporary accommodation, there was the fear about how long I was going to have to be there. The phone call from Jillian [one of East Lothian Council’s Community Housing Officers] telling me there was a property for me in Longniddry came almost out of the blue, then seeing the place was really emotional for me. I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams that I could find a place like this.”
Hugh grew up in Tranent then lived in Portobello for almost 20 years until a relationship breakup left him homeless. The move back to East Lothian has felt like coming home as his parents are still in Tranent and he has even discovered that his great-grandmother and grandmother lived in one of the railway cottages that now form part of the Longniddry South development.
He said: “I never in a million years thought that I would be homeless but it can happen to anyone. This new home will make a massive difference to me. I have two children who can now come to visit and stay and that is the most important thing.”
Councillor Andy Forrest, East Lothian Council Spokesperson for Housing and Property Maintenance, said: “It is fantastic to hear how happy Hugh is with his new home and what a difference it will make to him and his family. This just underlines how important it is for us to carry on with our extensive affordable housing programme, which has delivered 38 new build council houses and flats in the last financial year, along with five purchases from the open market providing much needed accommodation. This sits alongside our Local Housing Strategy and our priorities for 2025/6 which include maximising the delivery of affordable housing and delivering our Homelessness Action Plan.
“I have talked at length about the pressure on East Lothian’s social housing sector and the fact we declared an Affordable Housing Emergency in November 2024. Working with the Scottish Government and partners such as Cruden Homes is crucial to increasing council housing stock. I am delighted to see these new homes occupied and look forward to welcoming more new tenants to Longniddry South over the coming months. It’s a really attractive development with great local transport links and it is heartening to see how pleased our new tenants are with their homes.”
Fraser Lynes, Managing Director of Cruden Homes, said: “We are proud to be working in partnership with East Lothian Council to deliver much-needed affordable homes as part of our wider Longniddry South development. Hearing first-hand the impact that a safe, high-quality home has made to tenants like Hugh reinforces why these projects are so important. Cruden has a long-standing commitment to building sustainable, inclusive communities, and it’s fantastic to see the first Council residents settling into their new homes. We look forward to completing the next phases of the development and welcoming even more families over the coming months.”
A further 12 homes on the Longniddry South development are scheduled for handover in July this year and the final 12 in September, including one wheelchair accessible property.