A NEW 32-space car park has received the green light in Hawick – paving the way for a 50 new jobs bonanza at a town woollen mill.

A planning application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) to build a new £1.8m, 1,000ft square metre building on the current staff car park at Johnstons of Elgin at Eastfield Mills in Mansfield Road.

The aim is that the expansion will increase the staff at the site to 330 over the next four years.

But to enable that expansion SBC has required the mill to provide “compensatory” car parking.

Now planning approval has been granted to the company for 32 car parking spaces at the current Hawick Flood Protection Scheme site office on Eastfield Road.

A report approving the application, from planning officer Stuart Small, says: “The proposed car park is to compensate for the loss of parking caused by a separate planning application which proposes an extension to the Johnstons of Elgin factory incorporating their existing parking area.

“As part of that application, a condition was recommended by the Roads Planning Service to ensure any compensatory car parking would be fully operational prior to work on the proposed extension commencing.”