Peeblesshire News | News | Kirkland residents voice fears over housing project

Thursday, 4th December, 2008

Published: Friday, 11th January, 2008 10:30

Kirkland residents voice fears over housing project

By Caitlin Smith

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INNERLEITHEN residents say they are worried about the impact the construction of 93 new houses will have on the town.

Future neighbours of the Kirklands site turned up at the recent Innerleithen, the Traquair and Glen Community Council meeting to voice their concerns.

And they added they felt planners were ignoring their views.

Issues raised included the removal of mature assiduous trees that border their properties, the impact on the already struggling drainage system and increased traffic on local roads.

Community council member Gillian Steele said during the meeting: “The people in Kirkland look out their windows now and see beautiful rolling hills. In the future, they’ll look out and all they’ll be able to see will be houses.”

Councillor Ross McGinn told the Peeblesshire News: “We got quite a fright when we saw the number of houses they wanted to build because we thought there was only going to be about 30 and it was treble that.

“There was no consultation with the community council to raise the numbers to that level.”

He added he had particular fears about the loss of the local community centre in the primary school’s grounds.

Councillor McGinn went on to complain that, despite the impact new houses will have on everybody in Innerleithen, locals’ views were being ignored.

He added: “Planners don’t listen to what local people have to say.

“It all boils down to money. Developers walk away with their pockets full and all we’re left with is problems with infrastructure.”

A Council spokesperson retorted: “All planning applications are very much in the public domain.

“They are advertised in newspapers and applications can be viewed at council offices.

“Absolutely anyone who wants to comment in any way is entitled to do so. All submissions are available for the public to view and all submissions are, of course, taken into full consideration by our planners.”

The planning application was lodged with Scottish Borders Council at the end of December, alongside a separate bid to demolish the farmhouse and outbuildings on the site at Kirklands Farm.

It stated that there was pressure for development within the town, but there was lack of space around the periphery due to confining landforms and river valley.

The Kirklands Partnership applied to build the properties on 5.3 hectares of land near Leithen Road.

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