HOPES of creating a national park in the Borders have been handed a boost after the council agreed to formally consider proposals from a campaign group.

If the plans go ahead, the Borders would follow in the footsteps of the Cairngorms, and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.

According to the Times newspaper, the park would centre around Jedburgh.

Jim Brown, a councillor for Jedburgh and District Ward, said: “I am more than pleased to support the establishment of a national park within the Scottish Borders.

“While we are still in the early stages and this project remains hugely challenging, it is extremely exciting.

“We are not over the line yet and many questions and problems need to be overcome.

“However, with a fair wind and an open mind I hope that both officers and elected members at Scottish Borders Council (SBC) can work towards a suitable conclusion.

“Gaining national park status will encourage tourists intending to visit Scotland to recognise the Scottish Borders as the preferred scenic route to Edinburgh and beyond.”

A team member at Scottish Borders National Park campaign group, Malcolm Dickson, says that a national park “could help the economy of the whole Borders”.

He said: “The fact that the name would be the Scottish Borders National Park, together with the experience of communities outside existing national parks across the world, means that the knock-on economic benefits would spill over into the wider local authority area.”