Planning has been approved for a 140 residential development in Upper Braidwood after being deferred due to a lack of information.
Planning for the development was finally approved by councillors at the planning committee meeting on December 14.
The development was deferred at the last planning meeting on November 16, due to uncertainty over safe walking routes for children.
To counter concerns, the Roads and Transportation Services (RTS) have implemented a reduction of the speed limit from 40mph to 30mph on a section of Lanark Road.
The RTS have also recommended that controlled crossing should be implemented at the entrance to the development; these controlled signals will be installed by the council’s traffic signal maintenance contractor.
A two metre wide footway will be installed along the front of the site where it meets Lanark road and there will be access to Old Lanark Road for cyclists.
Safe walking routes for children going to school is out of the control of planning and is a matter between parents and school authorities.
Primary school children who live over a mile and secondary school children who live over two miles away from their catchment school are entitled to free school transport.
The distance to Braidwood Primary School, St Athanasius’ Primary School and Carluke High School are less than the threshold distance for free school transport.
However, if parents and the school authority feel that the walking route for a child accompanied by an adult to be unsafe, they can instigate an assessment to be carried out by the Roads Safety Team to review the situation.
The safety audit that was carried out to counter concerns and provide new information on the development was praised by councillors.
Councillor David Shearer for Clydesdale West, said: “I am glad that the pedestrian issues and the roads issues have all been thoroughly examined and it seems that mitigations have been put in place.
“I would hope that the pedestrian crossing after a number of houses have been built will be up and operational rather than waiting until the housing development is complete, so as soon as children move in there and have to go to school there is a suitable crossing in place.”