PLANS have been rubber-stamped for a new holiday let at the former home of Girlguiding in Scotland.

The Girl Guide movement in Scotland suffered a devastating blow with the immediate and permanent closure of its main training centre at Netherurd, near West Linton, back in the summer of 2020.

The coronavirus pandemic was blamed as the final cause of the shutdown.

The beautiful Georgian mansion Netherurd House is set in a 30-acre site and the extensive grounds were the holiday and training centre for hundreds of thousands of guides, brownies and other users such as groups from deprived areas across Scotland for more than 70 years ago.

The house was sold to the O’Neill family who secured the change back to residential use.

It is understood that finance raised from the sale of the property was reinvested in Girlguiding Scotland.

The O’Neill family moved into Netherurd House in 2021 and it has become “a wonderful family home”, a report to Scottish Borders Council says.

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The report adds: “The private investment in building upkeep and maintenance ensures the preservation of the Category B Listed 18th century mansion for future generations.

“Given the scale of the property and its grounds the O’Neill family have been exploring further uses for parts of the site which would complement the primary residential use of the property.

“To that end, to date, applications have been submitted for the change of use and listed building alterations to change the former shop and staff accommodation to a holiday let.

“The latest proposed development would involve the change of use of the chalet/outbuilding from a building which is ancillary to the main use of the property as a residential premises to a building used for holiday letting purposes.”

In his report supporting the application, SBC planning officer Ranald Dods says: “The application is supported by a business plan and, having assessed that, economic development has not objected to the proposal. I have no reason to question that assessment.”