EXCLUSIVE by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD
Scottish Borders Council has joined the Duke of Roxburghe, Olympic equestrian Ian Stark, and some of the region's leading retailers in challenging the rateable values placed on their respective properties and land by the regional assessor.
Almost 250 valuation appeals are scheduled for consideration at three separate hearings in May and June although it is expected a number of cases will have been settled before coming to 'court'. Scottish business rates in 2019/20 means owners face having to pay 49 pence for every pound of rateable value levied.
The 30-page citation list for the first Valuation Appeal Committee hearing next week is dominated by cases involving the Borders local authority and its agents D M Hall. SBC is trying to reduce the potential financial burden it could face as a result of the assessor's valuations of public car parks and open spaces. In many instances parking is free on the sites concerned with no revenue generated for the council.
In Hawick, the Common Haugh car park has a rateable value of £37,300 while the town's Mart Street parking area carries a £10,900 figure. Among the other appealed cases involving car parks are St Abbs £3,500; Coldingham Sands £4,450; Gunsgreen (Eyemouth) £6,300; Galashiels - Currie Road £13,900; High Street £13,300; and Nether Road £17,100; Selkirk - Market Place £9,500; Jedburgh - Canongate £20,700; Lothian Park £11,000; Kelso - The Knowes £12,500; Peebles - Edinburgh Road £20,700; Kingsmeadows £6,800.
All of these sites are on the appeals list published on the assessor's website..
A subsequent sitting of the committee in late May is due to hear appeals from proprietors of sporting and leisure facilities across the region.
Scottish Borders Council is the appellent in more than 50 cases, each of them involving individual beach huts at Coldingham Bay. Many of the structures have been given a rateable value of £240. The local authority is also contesting values placed on caravan parks, tennis courts and The Greenyards Rugby Ground, home to Melrose RFC (£41,000).
The list includes Ian Stark, the former Olympic Games medallist whose equestrian centre near Selkirk carries a valuation of £28,700.
An appeal was also lodged by the Duke of Roxburghe, trading as The Roxburghe Hotel & Golf Course and Sunlaws Development Company in relation to the prestigious golf course near Heiton village (£52,200). Meanwhile the Second Roxburghe Discretionary Trust has questioned the £17,300 valuation on Kelso Golf Course.
Representatives of the council have appealed the figures for Hawick's Vertish Hill golf club (£28,800), while the local authority has also laid down a challenge in the case of Peebles Golf Club (£35,400).
Scottish National Party councillor Donald Moffat is among those on the citation list for another hearing on June 19th. He is appealing the £8,600 valuation on the Eildon entertainment centre he runs in Coldstream.
The committee is also due to hear appeals from pubs and clubs, and from retailers in most of the main Borders towns.
The citation list features: Galashiels - Pets at Home £106,500; Matalan £278,000; Carpetright £91,900; Dixon's Carphone Warehouse £128,500; Sports Direct £125,500; T K Maxx £155,000; and B&Q £258,000; Homebase (Hawick) £244,000; and Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Jedburgh £201,000.
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