A gamekeeper in East Lothian has won an appeal to build a family home in the countryside after councillors highlighted the importance of his profession to farming and agriculture.
Gary McPherson’s initial application to construct a home on agricultural land at Newmains, Whitekirk, was refused by planners, who argued that he lacked a strong connection to a rural business. However, the council’s Local Review Body overturned the decision following an appeal.
Councillor Donna Collins, a farmer, defended the application, stating: “Gamekeeping is an integral part of farming and agriculture. It sometimes gets a bit of a bum’s rush; a lot of people think gamekeepers just go around saying ‘oh let’s go shoot some things and kill a stag.’ It doesn’t work like that. There is a lot involved in being a gamekeeper, and it is deeply connected to agriculture.”