THERE will be less horsing around at a stables in Peebles after the green light was given for a new dog grooming facility – despite road safety fears being raised by concerned neighbours.

Approval has been given by Scottish Borders Council for the partial change of an equestrian building south of Castlehill Farmhouse to house the dog grooming business.

The application had raised serious road traffic concerns from neighbours.

One said: “As a family with young children and pets I am already concerned about traffic on the section of private road between my property and the stables. Just this week I have been run off the road by a vehicle where I had to jump onto an uneven bank on the side of the road to avoid a vehicle.

“This is a quiet residential area and the traffic has increased ten times in the last 13 years I have lived here. My family and I are genuinely concerned about our safety, and that of our pets. I fear a fatal accident.”

But in his report approving the application, Ranald Dods, council planning officer, said the matter was referred to the council’s roads section, which raised no objections.

He said: “Roads did not object to the proposal. I have no reason to question their assessment. The submissions made by the applicant indicate that the proposal would be low key. The applicant was advised that to make the operation acceptable, it would have to remain as a subsidiary element, with restrictions put on operating days and times and that it would be further tied to the existing equestrian business.”

In a supporting letter, Edinburgh-based Derek Scott, on behalf of the applicant, S. Brash, said: “The facility referred to accommodates a tack room on the ground floor and an unused space within a mezzanine area above.

“The application proposes that the mezzanine area above the tack room will be used for dog grooming purposes to be undertaken by a member of staff at the facility. The member of staff will be employed for 20 hours per week as a horse groom within the existing yard, with the balance of her working week, 15 hours, being involved in dog grooming activities.”