Published: Friday, 12th March, 2010 12:47pm

Historic approval for Chambers Institution

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CONTROVERSIAL council plans for the Chambers Institution have been passed by Historic Scotland.

Planning Permission for the new Contact Centre was granted last December but before work could commence the proposals needed to be signed off by the heritage body.

It is now hoped that work will be completed by the end of May.

However various groups within the town such as the Peebles Forum and Peebles Civic Society have voiced concerns regarding the effect of proposals on present services within the buildings such as the museum, Burgh Hall and library.

The High Street building was gifted to the people and town of Peebles in 1859 by the feted publisher William Chambers.

And in his bequest, Chambers stated that the facility's primary purpose was to provide for the educational needs of the community.

Provision was also made for parts of the building to be made available for rent, but only provided that these were surplus to its principal purposes namely the museum, hall, library and art gallery.

It is this contentious point of principle that has raised the hackles of local historian and Civic Society president, Ronald Ireland.

He feels the plans are more geared to meeting the administrative needs of Scottish Borders Council rather than those of the community.

He said: "From a purely planning point of view we have no objections to the plans but we are opposed to them carrying out this work ahead of the library and museum.

"They are going about it from the wrong end, a proper feasibility study needs to be carried on the whole of the building. The library is badly in need of modernising.

"They are not investing in a way that benefits the Chambers Institution or people of Peebles but only in a way that benefits the council."

The planned renovations will allow social work offices to move from their existing overcrowded accommodation within the Chambers Institution to SBC's Rosetta Road council offices.

While the vacated offices will then be renovated for shared use between VisitScotland and council Customer Services staff.

Peebles' Citizen's Advice Bureau will also be housed in the building from May.

Local councillor, Graham Garvie, is of a different mind to the Civic Society on the matter believing instead that the plans will greatly benefit Peebles.

He said: "This will be a tremendous new facility for the people of Peebles with vastly improved services.

"The building can't stand still as a relic to history, it has to be fit for today's society and move forward.

"I also feel that allowing Peebles' Citizen's Advice Bureau to move in to the building is something that William Chambers and his philantropic sensiblities would greatly approve of."