Tweedbank hotel and retail park plans take step forward

It was revealed last month that Premier Inn, Costa Coffee, Marks and Spencer and BP had all signed up to the Borders Gateway project.

And this week a full planning application by Manor Place Developments was submitted with Scottish Borders Council.

A supporting statement which has been tabled with the bid claims that over 90 percent of Tweedbank residents were supportive of the plans.

And that all businesses located on the nearby industrial estate were also backing the bid.

The 5.68 acre site, which was previously owned by B&Q, will house a 71-bedroom Premier Inn hotel, a Costa Coffee cafe with drive-thru facility, and a BP filling station with adjoining M&S grocery store.

Details of a cut-price supermarket on the site have yet to be released.

A spokesman for Manor Place Developments said: "All of the uses will benefit from being in close proximity to a range of customer opportunities.

"The filling station and associated M&S unit will benefit from the range of activity that is focused on this location with business users in the neighbouring industrial estate, road users passing through the area, tourists travelling north and south on the trunk roads, station users and also local residents looking for fuel and a pass-by top-up shopping function on their way to and from work and on leisure trips.

"The Costa Drive thru restaurant will benefit from being within a commercial/road-side environment and will attract spin off trade from the other commercial operations on the site.

"The highest profile proposed occupier on the site is Premier Inn.

"This would be the first Premier Inn to be located in the Borders with the nearest other Premier Inn being Dalkeith.

"Virtually all Premier Inn bookings are undertaken via web booking and as such this system alone will draw travellers to Tweedbank and the wider area who would not otherwise have considered this location."

Scottish Borders Council will consider the plans over the coming months.