At the full Council meeting last week, councillors heard how moving Dalkeith Library and Arts Centre into the council headquarters, Midlothian House, will now allow for a larger area to be redeveloped in the initial phases of the town centre regeneration plans.

The expanded boundary will include the Children and Families and Communities, Lifelong Learning and Employability offices on Eskdaill Court.

The council’s master planners, Reiach & Hall Architects, have developed the plans, which could deliver up to 74 flats and around 500sqm of retail space in the town centre. A business case will now be developed.

Buildings outside the revised boundary, shown as dotted lines in the drawing, will not be redeveloped, but will be refurbished under a separate funding programme.

The first phase of the regeneration plans also includes restoring the external fabric of Midlothian House and developing a new customer hub on the ground floor of the building, which will incorporate the library and arts centre. 

A planning application for Midlothian House will be submitted in the coming weeks.