CONCERNED residents living near the proposed site of a new farm-themed family park are preparing to object to the scheme.

Plans were revealed last month for East Links Family Park, which is currently based near West Barns, to switch to a new site at East Fortune Farm.

More detailed proposals will be revealed to the public for the first time today (Friday) as developers work their way towards submitting a planning application to East Lothian Council.

However, ahead of the exhibition, which takes place on the site, a number of residents have joined forces to oppose the move on the grounds of road safety, loss of agricultural land and lack of capacity in the sewage system.

READ MORE: East Links Family Park looking to move to East Fortune Farm

A spokesman for the concerned residents told the Courier: “The road network in the area around the site is not capable of taking the traffic that will be generated.

“The road past where the proposed site entrance would be is really busy.

“It has become a favoured route for people living on the south side of North Berwick to get to the A1 without going through the town.

“There are frequent motorcycle days at the old East Fortune airfield which generate massive amounts of traffic, and on top of that the sewage system is so overloaded it frequently floods nearby fields.”

People living near East Fortune cited road safety as their main concern.

The spokesman acknowledged that the Brand family, who own East Fortune Farm, were very well thought of in the community.

They said: “We greatly admire the work the Brands have put into growing their farm shop business and everybody in the area wants to see them grow it further. So we are hoping the application will be withdrawn before it becomes a widespread campaign against the plans.

“It is quite clear that nearly everyone in the surrounding area is against the proposals – mainly on safety fears and the destruction of a rural backwater by what could only be described as over-development.

“The published proposals envisage a farm park – but also a miniature railway, cafe, and parking for 200 cars and busses.

“At peak times, the existing park gets thousands of visitors each week – East Fortune is just not capable of absorbing that sort of traffic without severely compromising road safety.”

APT Planning and Development Ltd, which is representing the parties behind the proposals, confirmed that details from a traffic impact assessment would be provided at the exhibition, which runs from 2pm to 8pm.

Tony Thomas, from the business, noted that the majority of the visitors going to the existing family park were coming off the Thistly Cross Roundabout at the A1.

In comparison, there were likely to be visitors coming from different directions to the proposed new location.

He added: “There will be visuals and information about jobs, investment, the tourism spend. . . and some indicative plans of how the site might look.”