Serious doubts cast on Tweedbank retail park plan

EXCLUSIVE by DOUG COLLIE

The construction of a multi-million pound retail park complete with budget hotel at Tweedbank between Galashiels and Melrose would "set an undesirable precedent" and would undermine Scottish Borders Council's strong position on business development at the location.

That is the claim made by Karen Ruthven, from the council's own Forward Planning Department, in an assessment report on the proposed project by Edinburgh-based developers. She maintains the planned uses of the site do not conform to the local authority's planning and development policies while the retail elements of the scheme would have a negative impact on Galashiels and Melrose town centres.

Considerably more than a hundred 'letters' of support for the retail park idea have been submitted to SBC planning officers who are currently examining the application for planning permission. A decision is expected to be made by SBC elected members later this year.

But Ms Ruthven warns: "The council’s planning policy identifies the [Tweedbank] site as a Strategic Business and Industrial site.  The aim of the policy is to maintain a supply of business and industrial land allocations in the Scottish Borders.

"The uses proposed as part of this planning application do not conform with the requirements of the policy nor the Supplementary Guidance/SPZ (Simplified Planning Zone)."

She explains that the most recent Employment Land Audit carried out by the Council in the Summer of 2018 identified 2.3ha of immediately available employment land in the Galashiels / Tweedbank area.  This includes the land subject to this planning application which accounts for 65% of the 2.3ha. 

"It is not considered this is sufficient land to meet the anticipated demand and there is already current development interest being shown and implemented in the vicinity of the Central Borders Business Park", states Ms Ruthven. "It is vital that existing employment land supply is retained and further land is allocated for this purpose.

"The allocation of further employment land within the Galashiels / Tweedbank area is a key theme and requirement within the Council’s recently produced Main Issues Report.  The protection of the application site for business uses and the identification of further employment land within the vicinity will be taken forward into the proposed new Local Development Plan".

Ms Ruthven's report adds that .any proposal which may have an impact on the performance of Galashiels, and indeed Melrose town centres, including impacts of footfall and vacancy levels, must be closely scrutinised. Locating a retail development at this location will have a detrimental impact upon the function of the Galashiels town centre and indeed Melrose although as the proposal does not have a clear and recognised end user it is difficult to fully quantify this.

"The application proposes a Premier Inn and in the covering statement reference is made to the need to find a reliant hotel.  It is agreed a high quality hotel is required in the vicinity of the Borders Rail corridor.  Options are being considered in order to identify the most appropriate site with Galashiels being an obvious strong option given the facilities at hand and the desire to help regenerate and increase expenditure within the town centre.

"The proposed hotel site is within an allocated strategic business and industrial site and is neither an appropriate nor a preferred location by the Council.The Hotel Assessment suggests that the immediate priority for a budget hotel should be Galashiels over Tweedbank.  Even with the development of the Central Business Park, which would require a critical mass of businesses that generate hotel demand, the assessment states this location suffers from a paucity of things to do in the evening and places to eat.  The assessment states that a strategy that focuses a budget hotel development on Galashiels will enable hotel development to contribute to the development of the town and its evening economy.  This has been reflected within the Galashiels Masterplan."

And according to Ms Ruthven: " There is a growing argument that the preferable location for a hotel is within Galashiels given the initiative of regenerating the town centre and the wide arrays of facilities that the town centre offers. 

"At a recent meeting with the Agent [for the Tweedbank retail park applicants], the Agent was very clear that there was no developer interest for a hotel within the Galashiels Town Centre and if the Council did not support this proposal within the Tweedbank strategic industrial site, no hotel development would ever be forthcoming.  However, it has since been noted in the local press that the Travel Lodge have been quoted as expressing a very keen interest in locating to Galashiels and this proposal will be discussed and developed further.  Even if a case was put forward for a hotel in the vicinity of the Tweedbank Railway Station, a location within the strategic business park would not be appropriate on policy grounds."

The Forward Planning team at SBC say it could be understood there may be a degree of pressure to allow a more flexible range of uses within the Central Borders Business Park if there was no business activity taking place and that the estate was static in terms of development.  However, that is not the case as there is 'considerable buoyant business activity' currently taking place in and around the business park. This includes investment and businesses relocating / setting up - e.g. Stewart Technology, CGI, Tempest Brewery and a Scottish Enterprise office building. 

"This is at odds with the agent’s covering statement which states that “Occupier interest remains relatively patchy and light. It is therefore critical that the Business Park safeguards land for future business development."

Ms Ruthven argues: "Given all the work, finance and policy documents gone into promoting and taking measures to protect and develop the Business Park it would be erroneous of the Council if any business or industrial uses were unable to set up in Tweedbank as previously available land is taken up by non-conforming policy uses such as those identified in this application.  It should also be noted that although the application proposal will generate jobs, this will be to the detriment of other businesses who would be unable to set up within the Business Park due to these non-conforming uses taking up this allocated business land."

In summary, concludes Ms Ruthven, the uses proposed as part of this planning application do not conform with the requirements of Policy ED1 nor the Supplementary Guidance/SPZ for the Tweedbank Business Park.  To support this proposal would set an undesirable precedent and would undermine the Council’s strong position on business development on this prime allocated strategic site. 

To support the proposal would result in the loss of business land within the Central Borders which is a scarce resource.  The retail element of the proposal would have negative impacts on the performance of Galashiels and Melrose town centres.  Furthermore, the development would result in the loss of trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order put in place to specifically screen the site from public view.

Manx funds caught up in planned class action

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

A multi-million pound legal claim against companies who allegedly assisted the mis-selling of failed investments - including the Isle of Man fund chosen by Scottish Borders councillors to bankroll a large waste treatment facility - is being assembled by agents and lawyers in Australia and the United Kingdom.

The so-called class action is likely to be lodged in the High Court in London on behalf of hundreds of victims who in some cases have lost their life savings. Many of those hit by the failure of the funds are resident overseas and a sizeable proportion are understood to be pensioners.

Among the ten investment funds listed by those promoting the action are the New Earth Recycling & Renewables [Infrastructure] fund (NERR), now in liquidation, and the Eco-Resources Fund, also in the hands of liquidators. Both of those entities were managed and promoted by Premier Group (Isle of Man) Ltd., yet another Manx-based insolvent business.

It was the NERR fund which was meant to provide the finance for a "cutting edge" waste management centre to serve the Scottish Borders at a cost of £23 million. But despite costly (£2.4 million) efforts by the council and its New Earth partners from 2011 and 2015 to deliver the plant on a site at Galashiels not a single brick was laid before the entire venture was abandoned in disarray.

However, the planned class action will not be aimed at the failed funds. Instead the claim is set to be laid against insurance companies Old Mutual Investment Management Limited, Old Mutual Plc, Friends Provident International Limited and Friends Life Limited.

According to Australian based Coburn Corporate Intelligence (CCI) Ltd: " The insurance companies hosted funds on their platforms which failed.  It is alleged that people who invested in Portfolio Bonds, which were linked to those funds on the insurance companies’ platforms, are entitled to compensation.The losses suffered could collectively be in excess of half a billion pounds."

CCI go on to explain: "Solicitors, Signature Litigation LLP (London), and Queen’s Counsel in London are reviewing the facts and preparing a draft Particulars of Claim.

"CCI are currently looking to finalise funding arrangements and have a number of interested funders considering the case. The intended claim is for more than £100 million.

"We are gathering information from further potential claimants to assess whether or not they may be eligible to participate in the claim and recover compensation. The CCI class action is overseen by a six-member Advisory Committee, comprising of investors and independent members."

The insurers are expected to be 'accused' in the action of  mis-selling so called Unregulated Collective Investment Schemes (UCIS) to clients living in jurisdictions including Thailand, Indonesia, Cyprus and the UAE, via the Isle of Man.

UCIS such as the NERR fund are not supposed to be available to regular investors in the UK due to their risk and the fact that they are not supervised by the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

 A significant number of investors in the New Earth fund have already made successful complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service which has ordered a number of financial advisers to pay tens of thousands of pounds in compensation for giving unsuitable advice.

Both Old Mutual and Friends Provident have told the magazine City.com they completely refute the allegations levelled at them. They have denied wrongdoing and or liability.

Locals challenge Jedburgh school sale

by EWAN LAMB

Residents of Jedburgh have taken to social media to throw down a challenge, asking Scottish Borders Council to justify the marketing of a potentially valuable development site, currently occupied by one of the town's two primary schools.

A number of local people claim to have been shocked when agents acting for the local authority published details of the sale of Howdenburn school and its extensive playing fields a few days ago. The school buildings, completed in the early 1970s, will be flattened after the pupils move to the burgh's new £32 million education campus in 2020.

The 5.6 acre site is being advertised for sale by Galashiels-based estate agents Edwin Thompson. The asking price for the cleared site which commands fine views over the town has not been revealed in the sales blurb.

However, SBC's right to sell has been questioned on the Jethart's Here Past and Present Facebook page.

According to local man Scott Irvine, in a post on the site: "This land was left to the people of Jedburgh through the last will and testament of the late William A Skead. It may not be SBC land, There is stipulations on this land. I done [sic] a freedom of information act request about this land a few years ago. I got a tip off that SBC may try and sell this land not realising that they may not own it and keep the proceeds from it. Whatever happens to it the one thing is the Jedburgh Common Good Fund could benefit."

Mr Irvine explained the council had to send him Mr Skead's will, as secretary of the Jethart Callants Club "as we as a club have to try and fight for our toon so there may be a chance SBC may not have known they might not own the land so we’ll just have to make them aware they may not own it."

Other residents have supported the idea of asking the council to prove its ownership of the land on which Howdenburn primary school stands. It has been claimed that in similar circumstances some years ago Jedburgh's former cottage hospital was sold by the health authorities even though land ownership was "in doubt".

Richard Gordon, a former provost of Jedburgh says on the Facebook page: " The reason the Common Good Fund is cash-rich is that the then trustees of the fund went to the Court of Session and got a ruling that land could be sold for development. If Jedburgh Town Council sold the Howdenburn school site to Roxburghshire County Council or Borders Regional Council then it will now belong to Scottish Borders Council who can sell it for development if they wish."

Mr Irvine replied: "As long as they have proof of purchase that’s fine but at the end of the day, that money would be lost to Jed if we don’t ask the questions.  Remember when SBC put the parking meters in our car parks and then found out they didn’t own them."

Another poster wrote: "People have a problem with how their hard earned money is spent by the Powers that be over at SBC HQ. That's the problem.But if Scott is correct on this matter which I'm sure he is it would be good to hear from one of our local Councillors on this matter".

Council's 'vision and leadership' under the spotlight

EXCLUSIVE by DOUG COLLIE

Scottish Borders Council will be one of seven local authorities to be subjected to a 'Best Value' audit this year as part of the annual inspection of its financial systems and accounts.

Audit Scotland, the national public spending watchdog which acts as SBC's external auditors, will charge the council £275,000 for its work at Newtown St Boswells in 2018/19, according to a report which will be considered by the Audit & Scrutiny Committee next week. The auditing fee is up from £270,000 last year.

The annual audit plan reveals details of the preparation of the so-called Best Value Assurance Report (BVAR) as well as outlining the areas of risk and other issues to be examined by the Audit Scotland team.

According to the audit plan: "The [BVAR] work planned in Scottish Borders Council this year will focus on the Council's arrangements for demonstrating Best Value in the following areas: • vision and leadership • partnership and collaborative working • progress with its transformation programme • performance and outcomes • self evaluation and improvement • procurement."

The report to the committee also states: "We aim to add value to the Scottish Borders Council through our external audit work by being constructive and forward looking, by identifying areas for improvement and by recommending and encouraging good practice. In so doing, we intend to help the Scottish Borders Council promote improved standards of governance, better management and decision making and more effective use of resources."

In recent months Borders councillors have voted to spend £9.6 million on the purchase of the Lowood Estate, near Melrose, and to commit a further £16 million so that I-pads can be handed out to hundreds of the region's school pupils. It is not known whether these two multi-million pound projects will form part of the Best Value audit.

Audit Scotland explain in their report that the council implemented a new financial system, Business World, from April 2017. "Although mostly delivered as planned, there were issues with the implementation of the system, as reported by Internal Audit and in our 2017/18 Management Report and 2017/18 Annual Audit Report. An update to the system has taken place during 2018/19. There is a risk that issues reported in 2017/18 have not been addressed and impact on the controls in place over preparation of the 2018/19 annual accounts."

Turning to financial sustainability, the document reports: "The council has a financial strategy covering the 5 year period 2019/20 – 2023/24. This strategy includes the requirement to identify £30.4m of savings over the period of the plan. There is a risk that the council will be unable to manage its budget pressures within available resources, leading to a reduction in the provision of services."

And so far as financial management is concerned the watchdog comments: "The latest financial report for quarter three of 2018/19, reported in February 2019, indicated that there could be an adverse variance at the year end of £1 million, mostly due to pressures in Health & Social Care and Assets & Infrastructure budgets. The report also noted that £16.4 million of savings have been delivered for 2018/19, with £4.7 million of these delivered on a temporary basis. There is a risk that the council will not achieve a balanced year end position and also of future budget overspends if a sustainable budget is not developed timeously."

In a section dealing with EU withdrawal SBC's external auditors say: "There are considerable uncertainties surrounding the implications of EU withdrawal and public bodies should assess the potential impact on their operations and identify specific issues and planned responses.

"We will assess how the council has prepared for EU withdrawal, specifically looking at implications for workforce, finance and regulation. We will also consider how the council responds to any emerging issues after March 2019."

Research into Tweed predators' dietary habits

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

Significant numbers of cormorants and goosanders - believed to be consuming ever increasing numbers of salmon on the Tweed's world class angling beats - will be killed this year so that scientists can study the contents of their stomachs and establish how many fish the predatory birds are taking.

The exercise which is the first of its kind on the Tweed river system for more than twenty years follows another disappointing season in 2018 for anglers out to catch salmon and sea trout. The birds, regarded as pests by the angling fraternity, have caused anger and disharmony on the river.

Official figures being presented to the annual meeting of the River Tweed Commissioners (RTC) this week show the total salmon catch last year at 6,129, a further drop on the previous year (7,003 in 2017). In total 5,644 Salmon (6,577 in 2017) were caught by rod and line and 485 (426) by net. The 2018 Sea-trout catch was less than half that of the previous season at 1,158 (2,594 in 2017). 

RTC's annual report contains details of the research project on cormorants and goosanders which, it is hoped, will provide evidence to support greater control measures against the predators.

The report says: "The RTC made an application for an extended licence to control Cormorant and Goosander from 1st October 2018 through to 31st May 2019, as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) had agreed last year. In addition, the RTC requested a larger number of birds to be taken in some months to fulfil the requirements of a study to look at the current dietary make-up of the birds, to be undertaken by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in Edinburgh.

"That work had last been carried out in the 1990s when the main constituent of the diet had been eel. A few samples had been collected by the RTC during 2017 and sent for analysis, but a larger, coordinated, study was required. During lengthy consideration of that request, the RTC was issued with several interim month-long licences throughout the autumn period by SNH to enable the usual control and scaring regime to take place.

"At the end of the year, a compromise was agreed with SNH enabling a dietary analysis study to take place during 2019, involving several rivers, and being led by Marine Scotland."

The Commission's report adds that due to the increase in Cormorant numbers on the Tweed, the Fishery Officers actively monitored and recorded numbers - especially at roosting sites around the catchment - to help collect data for future licence submissions for control measures.

"With growing populations of piscivorous [fish-eating] birds being seen on many rivers, a dedicated group has been set up comprising representation from Marine Scotland and Marine Scotland Science, SNH, Fisheries Management Scotland and the Fishery Boards and Trusts to debate the whole issue and approach to predation control and to find a way forward.

"In addition to continuing to press the authorities for a larger licence to better protect the smolt run and juvenile stocks of Salmon and Trout, the RTC is also developing non-lethal techniques to disrupt feeding patterns and discourage roosts."

The vexed question of cormorants and goosanders also features in the section of the report written by RTC chairman Douglas Dobie who is standing down after seven years in the post.

Mr Dobie writes: "Goosanders are prevalent throughout the catchment and the number of semi-resident Cormorants have increased significantly in the past few years.

"Whilst a decline in fish stocks, particularly migratory, is unlikely to be attributable to a single cause, it is distressing for anyone closely involved in the well-being of the river regularly to watch large numbers of piscivorous birds hunting in flocks of up to 50 – 100. This would not have happened 20 – 30 years ago and the numbers we see today will be having an impact on all freshwater fish stocks."

He concedes that the Commission’s executive and Tweed Foundation staff had come under considerable criticism for not “doing enough”, particularly in relation to piscivorous birds, but reminds stakeholders of the measures taken so far.

Mr Dobie comments: "I am not seeking re-election in 2019 and, although I have really enjoyed many aspects of my involvement over the last seven years, it has been a turbulent period.

"The dramatic decline in Salmon catches has resulted in a loss of confidence, anxiety and anger at the present position leading to a polarisation of views often sustained by an unconscious bias towards only listening to like-minded opinions. Everybody involved should be working to find a consensus, not discord, restore trust and to maintaining the Tweed’s international reputation for management based on sound evidence and sound science."

Facebook fury at I-Pad Giveaway

by DOUG COLLIE

The decision by the Conservative-led administration at Scottish Borders Council to splash out £15 million on I-Pads for school pupils has been met with a torrent of criticism from parents and others who have branded the move as wasteful of scarce resources.

Much of the negative reaction has come in posts which can be read on the council's Facebook page. More than 90% of those who commented appear to be opposed to the I-Pad distribution for all children in the Primary 6 to Secondary 6 age bracket.

The ruling group also voted to increase council tax bills in 2019/20 by an inflation-busting 4%. The largesse involving I-Pads follows the recent decision to spend £9.4 million to acquire the remainder of Lowood Estate next to Tweedbank village for development.

Here are some of the (unedited) posts which appear on the SBC Facebook site:

Noreen Fairbairn Whilst I wholeheartedly agree that council tax needs to increase, the way our money is being spent is not acceptable. It’s frankly outrageous. Any child who needs an iPad to help them in school should obviously get one, it’s a fantastic idea. EVERY secondary school pupil receiving an iPad is absolutely ridiculous. The council does not have an adequate IT department to support this, the school WiFi is non existent (confirmed by a head of department in PHS), who pays for insurance and repairs? The cash being thrown at the (admitted loss making) Tapestry is shameful. We could have dozens of full time teachers, support staff and elderly care staff instead of just 2 of your white elephant schemes. Just ridiculous. JUST PROVIDE STAFF! It’s not complicated.

Jim Finlay The roads are a disgrace and I'm not just talking about side roads, I'm talking A68, teachers struggle to afford pencils for each child, no green waste pickup ... the list goes on ........ and yet the council can afford to procure an iPad for EVERY child from P6 upwards in the borders !!! Apparently this is to reduce the austerity gap ........ someone at SBC needs to step up and explain that decision and spend on council tax money, especially when we are told kids spend too much time in front of "devices". It's not just the up front cost of iPads, they have to have an IT department support the devices, support the security i.e. anti-virus, information security, what happens when a child loses or drops an iPad or forgets their pin and it gets wiped and what about the iOS updates and management of that ? . ALL additional and ONGOING and RECURRING costs !!! Has SBC actually looked at the overall cost per device/pupil over the years, not to mention all the new kids coming through and devices out of date or obsolescent ... as I said, they have a duty to be transparent to the taxpayer i.e. You and me.

Jamie Green Lets refuse them. Kids are online enough atm it's the last thing they need. Actually stunned at how bad an idea this is. Mabye one two per classroom ect. Will be broken aswell and do you think ipads last forever cause they don't. Puplic should have a vote on issues like this. Don't normally moan but this is pathetic.

Graham Gray Scrap the pads and tapestry building and use the money for for vital services and roads and to save putting up council tax that most folk dont have the extra to pay.

Helen Ballantyne Apart from anything else it’s ridiculous to assume every family household has internet connection. The level of poverty in the Borders is staggering.

Sarah Jane D'Agrosa Scottish Borders Council Budget cuts, loss of valuable support staff and a crisis of confidence in the teaching profession and someone managed to justify 15.6 MILLION pounds to hand out ipads? I can almost guarantee you will lose half of them. What happens then? Report it to the teacher? The overworked and over-stressed teacher then has to deal with that on top of everything else? There will be thefts too. Many of the pupils will end up going without again and you'll end up dealing with a whole new set of problems. 'raising attainment and supporting equity' what does that even mean, really? The council creating convoluted and out of touch policies is not solving anything. You have a real problem in schools in the Borders and spending almost 16 million pounds on ipads when you say you need to make staff cuts is horrendous. At the end of the day the councillors aren't the ones dealing with abusive pupils head on and being driven out of their profession because they don't have the tools and the support network to make a real difference.

Carol Payne Total extravagance when Council services are being cut severely and the Council tax has gone up by 4%. Why does every single child need an iPad, one of the most expensive tablets on the market? If a child really hasn't got a tablet or laptop at home, fine loan them one, but giving one out to every child smacks of gross fiscal irresponsibility. IT is important nowadays, but I think the resources could be spent better with more teachers, smaller classes, and a better curriculum for children to learn at school, and some basic education, rather than this expensive grandiose plan.

Colin Turnbull Aye waste o money. Bring back chalk n slates. Guid enough for our grand faithers, guid enough for of grand kids. Bring back national service, polio and rickets too. What dae Ye think this is? The 21st century? 😆 Ya Fu**in’ loons.

David Millar It's a great idea and has proven to work in other countries.  Kids and parents can keep tabs on homework and school work which can only be a benefit . Give it a chance people.

Gareth Platts Looks like the public don't want you spending their hard earned tax money on extravagant trinkets and a building to house a piece of cloth. Who knew. Maybe you should actually listen to the public on this issue and scrap this idea before you make people poorer for no good reason.

Blank sections in £29 million Business Case document

EXCLUSIVE by EWAN LAMB

The written economic and financial appraisals of Scottish Borders Council's planned £29 million Innovation Park at Tweedbank are missing from the published version of the project's vital Business Case which will be used in a bid to secure funding for the ambitious venture.

A 70-page document was presented to the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City Region Deal Joint Committee which shows the council will need to borrow several millions of pounds to "cash flow" the Innovation Park. The plans are seen as a catalyst to attract new businesses to top class facilities in the central Borders.

But four out of five appendices to the report are not available for public scrutiny, having been submitted to the city deal committee separately. The missing sections cover the economic appraisal, the financial appraisal, the sensitivity analysis and the programme plan.

The Business Case states: "Property experts in Scottish Futures Trust and Scottish Enterprise (acting on behalf of the Scottish Government) have expressed their satisfaction with the programme’s plans, although they acknowledge that there is risk with the speculative development planned later in the programme."

Borders councillors recently agreed to spend almost £10 million to purchase the remaining land on the Lowood Estate, close to Tweedbank railway station. Estate land is to be used for a mixture of developments including industrial premises, office space and up to 400 new houses. A planning application for the Innovation Park - it will be developed in stages - is likely to be lodged this month.

The Scottish Borders is set to receive £15 million over 15 years from the much vaunted £600 million city deal, jointly funded by the UK and Scottish Governments. Critics have described the Borders share of the cake as a pittance compared to the amount being invested in the rest of the south-east region.

According to the Business Case for Tweedbank: "The expected benefits of the programme are anticipated to be in the region of £350 million of GVA and the creation of 383 jobs. Contributions from the Borders Railway Blueprint, Scottish Borders Council, the private sector, and Scottish Enterprise make up 48.3 per cent of the programme’s costs (£14.1 million).

"The current, depressed state of the office and industrial property market in the Scottish Borders requires the level of public sector investment planned under this programme. Such investment would supplement the £350m already spent on the Borders Railway. It would replace low value, obsolescent stock with high quality premises that will allow for a far more competitive business location. Recent  analyses by Ryden and Graham & Sibbald suggest that there is potential demand for the office and industrial space being proposed." 

The document says the assumption is that funding from the Scottish Government is payable on a variable basis over a 15-year period, requiring Scottish Borders Council to borrow to cash flow the project. The financial model shows that the overall borrowing requirement would peak at £4.5 million in 2024 and would be repaid in 2029.

Costs distribution for the £29.1 million project are – SBC £5 million; Scottish Enterprise £1.5 million; City Deal £15 million; Railway Blueprint £3.5 million; private sector £4 million.

The proposed Innovation Park with its potential to attract skilled jobs to assist the low paid Borders employment sector will, it is hoped, 'piggy-back' the reinstatement of the Borders Railway.

The Business Case states: "The economic potential of the Borders Railway has been boosted by overall passenger usage exceeding initial expectations with 22 per cent more passengers than predicted. 

"The number of passengers using Tweedbank Station is ten times the number predicted; at Galashiels, it is five times. The railway is helping to bring the attractiveness of living and working in the Scottish Borders to national attention. This programme will help to put Tweedbank Station at the heart of a sustainable, thriving, vibrant community rather than being simply a “Park and Ride” facility for commuters and visitors. At present, most commuters using the railway travel north to Edinburgh. The programme can help to reverse this trend through creating good employment opportunities."