Reporter axes housing site near Abbotsford again

by LESTER CROSS

The 500 objectors who voiced their dissent against a proposal to build 45 houses close to renowned author Sir Walter Scott's home at Abbotsford House will no doubt be overjoyed after a Scottish Government planning reporter ordered the site should be removed from the Borders Local Development Plan [LDP] for a third time.

Scottish Borders Council had included the land at Netherbarns, on the outskirts of Galashiels, in their new LDP even though it had been rejected at previous examinations.

But reporter Nick Smith and his team who have spent the best part of a year examining development sites across the Borders region have concluded that even with additional mitigation measures a detrimental impact on Abbotsford might not be avoided.

The council rejected the written objections which flooded in from around the world when Netherbarns was included in the proposed LDP yet again.

Typical of the condemnation because of the perceived threat to Scott's home was the submission from Douglas Pringle, an attorney based in Wichita, Kansas, who is president of the wealthy K T Wiedemann Foundation. The organisation has donated well over $150,000 to the Abbotsford Trust to help with restoration of the house and its outstanding collection of Scott books and artefacts. 

Mr Pringle told SBC in his objection letter on behalf of the Foundation: "The [Netherbarns] proposals have a highly negative impact on Abbotsford. It would be a pity to see this idyllic setting destroyed by this project".

And Abbotsford chief executive Giles Ingram wrote: "We hope we can forestall the site's inclusion in future LDPs by putting forward our case, now and forever, on the detrimental impact of a development at Netherbarns on Abbotsford, the jewel in the crown of the Borders".

In the 1150-page Examination report on the Borders LDP, Mr Smith writes: "It is acknowledged that the site has a history and has previously been omitted from the Plan by Reporters from the Scottish Government. However, it is not uncommon for submissions to be made again for sites that have been dismissed previously. What needs to be considered is whether there are any new material considerations and amendments to the proposal which have not previously been tabled which could justify the site being considered for inclusion within the Plan.

"In respect of these new proposals, amongst other matters it is noted that the location for the proposed houses are on a different part of the overall site compared to submissions previously. No development is now proposed on the larger eastern part of the site closest to Abbotsford House and more new planting is proposed throughout the site to screen it further. Taking these points into consideration there is no doubt that this new amended proposal has not been subject to previous Examination and it is entirely inaccurate to state otherwise. Consequently the new amended proposal has the right to be considered for inclusion within the LDP as is the case for all other proposals for other sites across the region which offer new material changes which have not previously been subject to Examination."

But the reporter said he concurred with the conclusions reached at the previous local plan inquiry.

"It appears to me that cultural and landscape considerations combine to provide an asset which should remain free of the impact of the suggested allocation and any subsequent development of Netherbarns. I do not accept that the woodland screening would adequately mitigate the adverse impacts of the allocation on the setting of the house or the designed landscape. Additionally, the re-opening of the railway link to Galashiels is likely to increase the volume of visitors to Abbotsford, therefore further strengthening the need to protect the heritage of the vicinity. On this basis, I conclude the allocation, including the somewhat obscure reference to educational facilities, should be removed from the proposed plan."

Mr Smith explained that during a visit in October 2022, when the trees were still in leaf, he could not see the site itself when looking from the house, its terraces or the parkland next to the river. However, when he returned in January 2023, he could clearly see the grass within the site through the bare trees. He could also see existing houses at Abbotsview to the northeast of the site. 

"Given the historic and cultural importance of Abbotsford House, I do not consider mitigation which seeks to minimise the adverse effects of the proposed development to be sufficient. The design code suggested in the heritage statement indicates that a range of detailed interventions would potentially be required to help make the development acceptable.

"I do not consider that such interventions could be guaranteed as part of an allocation in a local development plan. The council refers to the recent visitor centre as an example of a modern development which has been built within the grounds of Abbotsford House. It is not the role of this examination to assess the merits or otherwise of the visitor centre. However, as this building has no impact on views across the River Tweed from the principal rooms of Abbotsford House or the landscaped terraces and grounds to the north of the house, I do not consider its effects to be directly comparable. 

"I conclude that allocation AGALA029 [Netherbarns] has the potential to have an adverse impact on the setting of Abbotsford House and on its designed landscape. Reporter’s recommendations: Modify the local development plan by: deleting allocation Netherbarns from the table on proposed plan page 345 of the Galashiels settlement profile and from the Galashiels settlement map".