Ex-planning 'chair' denounced housing project

by DOUGLAS SHEPHERD

The publication of hundreds of written representations linked to Scottish Borders Council's new Local Development Plan shows the authority's former executive member for planning to be a strong critic of a proposed residential development close to Abbotsford House, home of novelist Sir Walter Scott.

Tom Miers (Conservative) was 'removed' from his influential position in Augiust 2020, a month before the Local Development Plan [LDP] was presented to councillors by planning officers. He claimed at the time to have been voted out "without explanation".

Writer and consultant Mr Miers, who was elected to represent the Leaderdale & Melrose ward on SBC in 2017 is not standing at the forthcoming local government elections next month. He has alleged in articles published on his blog site tommiers.wordpress.com  that the council is, for the most part, run by officials rather than by elected members.

As we recently reported, some 500 letters of objection were lodged with the council during the LDP consultation period against the inclusion of land at Netherbarns, 400 metres from Abbotsford, being included in the plan. It is claimed the 45 houses would have a devastating impact on Abbotsford's 'idyllic setting'.

Mr Miers' hard hitting criticisms of the Netherbarns proposal included details of a formal complaint he had made to the council about the site's inclusion in the LDP.

He wrote: "The process whereby SBC inserted this site into the draft LDP is open to question and is subject to a formal complaint by me as well as (I understand) an FOI request and a Standards investigation by members of the public. These are all presumably being considered by SBC separately. 

"Further to my complaint on process I object to the inclusion of Netherbarns in the Galashiels settlement boundary for the following reasons: allocating Netherbarns for housing goes against explicit national planning policy (for example NPF3 and its references to protecting our cultural heritage) and also council policy set out elsewhere in council documents. Many individual polices on protecting the heritage and economic potential of the Borders contradict the idea of development at Netherbarns, not least the ‘Countryside around towns’ policy EP6 (which of course is now proposed for amendment to fit). 

"More generally the proposed Local Development Plan includes among its core aims to “protect strategically important business opportunities” and to “preserve and enhance the natural and built environment”. Of course, it also aims to “provide a generous supply of ... land for housing” but that should be done if possible without conflict with the previous two. There is no pressing need for housing here since demand for housing land across the Borders is low (something acknowledged by SBC) and so no need for any such conflict. Therefore the economic, cultural and environmental risks highlighted by so many individuals and institutions have no justification (apart from assuaging the lobbying of the developer). There is simply no reason to contradict other policies."

Mr Miers explained that while the developer had made changes to the plans for housing on the site, the fundamentals were the same as previous submissions. Essentially a large-scale suburban-style housing estate on this site was inappropriate because it would impinge on the landscape setting of Abbotsford House.

"The landscape setting is part of Walter Scott’s vision for this property and so is an integral part of the cultural legacy of the site. Suburban style housing estates are completely out of context here. The council has not addressed this fundamental problem."

And Mr Miers said the council had not considered reasonable alternatives to a large-scale development here. For example the site could be suitable for a handful of houses set organically in grounds as commonly found on the edges of towns (not least just to the south of the site). This could ‘book-end’ Galashiels development in this direction, provide a natural ‘blended’ border between town and country while preserving the rural landscape setting of Abbotsford.

SBC's planning department has produced a document extending to 850 pages which seeks to respond to all LDP submissions.

In a direct reference to Mr Miers' observations, the council states: "In respect of the formal complaint referred to by contributor 1037 (the number assigned to Mr Miers' paperwork) the department has no knowledge of findings of fault. The department strongly refutes any claims of procedural irregularities".