£1 million Borders mansion may be bulldozed

by EWAN LAMB

A large country house now owned by Scottish Borders Council, and valued at £1 million could be demolished at a cost of over £400,000 after other options for the property were examined and discarded by officials and a firm of specialists.

The local authority took possession of Lowood House last year after a £10 million deal to acquire the mansion and 110 acres of the adjoining estate for development, including sites for up to 400 houses.

But original plans for the 190-year-old home of the Hamilton family included the possibility of conversion to a boutique hotel where tourists could stay during visits to the Borders. One of the main regional visitor attractions, Abbotsford House, home of the author Sir Walter Scott is situated a short distance away.

Now, however, the hotel option has been dismissed as unviable in a report which will go before a full meeting of SBC next week.

The report says Lowood House, which dates from 1830, has been extended a number of times and requires extensive modernisation. With the exception of the original east wing the house is characterised by small irregular shaped rooms that do not easily lend themselves to redevelopment.

" Annual running costs are approximately £20,000 but this assumes that no major repairs are required. A range of options for reuse of the house have been considered".

The officers together with consultants Savills considered a Conversion to Flats Scheme designed for eight 2-3 bedroom flats. But the gap between cost of conversion and likely sale price exceeded £1m, so this was deemed not a viable development proposition.

According to the report: "Private House Use - Savills advise possible sale price of up to £1m but the limited market for this type of property is slowing. A sale to this type of use would not be recommended as the house is at the heart of development and a sale would result in a loss of control of a key area. 

"Hotel/ Hospitality Use - Uncertain market conditions and small size of premises will only interest small-scale operators. The high cost of conversion will impact on price. Recent increases in the cost of living, energy costs will also have a negative effect on this market. No guarantee of any real interest in the current market.

"Educational Use - SBC worked with Borders College during 2022 to look at the potential for redevelopment as training space for catering and hospitality, however at approximately £3 million cost this was not financially viable. 

"Institutional / Community Use - Savills advise that there is occasionally demand from institutional users or well funded community groups for this type of property however the cost of conversion is likely to have an impact on demand and viability.

"Demolition of Part or Whole - Cost estimated at £310,000 (part) or £440,000 (whole). Demolition of the whole house will increase additional land for development and amenity use. Whilst the east wing of the house is attractive and could be retained, the additional cost of modernisation is unlikely to make this a viable option. This is considered the preferred option."

Lowood House comes complete with wine cellar, swimming pool and servants' quarters.

A confidential valuation report prepared prior to the council deal in 2018 included details of the attractive property by the banks of the River Tweed. This extract outlines the accommodation:

"Ground Floor – Vestibule, entrance hall, drawing room, dining room, conservatory, library, study, kitchen, utility room, old kitchen, 3 pantries, cloakroom with toilet and a further toilet. Wine cellar. First Floor – Landing, 4 bedrooms (1 en-suite) and family bathroom. Housekeeper’s Flat – Lounge, 3 bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom.

"Traditional stables are within the partially developed stable block to the west of Lowood House. These are of stone and slate construction and house 12 traditional loose boxes with part cobble, part concrete floors. Garage/workshop".

The surveyor's inspection report of the house's interior, included the following passage: "Internally, the property is well presented but is in need of modernisation and upgrading. The majority of the ground floor is well maintained with the exception of the old kitchen which is largely unused save mainly for storage. The first floor accommodation is well presented too with the exception of a bedroom to the south east which was in the process of being upgraded. Double glazing would be beneficial and the property may need rewiring."