The examination of the proposed Musselburgh Flood Protection Scheme is moving into oral hearings, with the first session scheduled for 6 October.
The scheme is now before the Scottish Government’s Planning and Environmental Appeals Division after unresolved objections prevented East Lothian Council from simply confirming it through the normal local process.
The case reached the DPEA in December 2025 and has generated an unusually large documentary record. The case file now contains hundreds of entries including examination documents, representations, hearing material and inquiry papers. Reporter Paul Cackette has been appointed to consider the evidence.
The first hearing is scheduled at Eskmills in Musselburgh on 6 October, followed by a virtual session on 9 October and a further session in November. The DPEA currently lists a target date of 4 December for the reporting process.
The examination is significant because the scheme has to balance flood protection with effects on the town’s landscape, river corridor, heritage, environment and public space. The process is not a referendum on whether Musselburgh faces flood risk; it is an examination of the proposed statutory scheme, its design and the objections made to it.
The October hearings will therefore move the project beyond written submissions and into direct examination of the outstanding issues before the reporter prepares conclusions for Scottish Ministers.
