Proposal for major new housing development in Peebles on the agenda

A Proposal for a Planning Application (Pan) has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council by Edinburgh-based Whiteburn Projects Limited to redevelop the town’s March Street Mill site.

The council now has 12 weeks in which to assess whether a full planning application can be submitted.

The specific number of dwellings planned for the 5.7 acre site is not outlined in the Pan notice, but a submission states that the proposals are for “the development of new build housing of private and affordable tenures, together with the retention of existing green spaces for the use as allotments gardens and public open space”.

It adds: “The proposals are for the retention and upgrading of the existing Lodge House on March Street for residential use, the retention of historic industrial buildings suitable for reuse as viable commercial/employment or community use and demolition of former mill buildings.”

The proposals also includes new public access points from March Street, Rosetta Road, Dovecot Road and Ballantyne Place.

Peebles Community Trust, the town’s community council and March Street Allotment Association have received copies of the Pan notice.

March Street Mill, which dates back to 1884, stopped production in 2015 following a period of sustained losses.

Whiteburn Projects, which won the 2022 Place Making Award from Scottish Borders Council for its Caerlee Mill development in Innerleithen, purchased the mill site from Moorbrook Textiles Limited last year.

Eve McCurrich, Whiteburn managing director, said after the purchase last October: “March Street is a fantastic location, a short walk from the High Street and amenities of the town, it is a true 20-minute neighbourhood. We look forward to engaging with stakeholders as we develop our proposals to create a vibrant and beautiful place.”

Whiteburn Projects is a member of the Considerate Constructor Scheme and is “fully committed to a programme of engagement with local communities and key stakeholders throughout the lifetime of its development”.