But a row over a housing allocation in Peebles led to a split in the ruling administration, with two senior Lib Dems leading a revolt against their Conservative and Independent allies.

Catriona Bhatia and Graham Garvie, who hold key positions – for education and culture respectively – on the council's executive, felt a site for 40 homes at Violet Bank should be removed from the plan and claimed there was already more than enough land zoned for houses in their town.

In so doing, they defied a warning from SBC leader David Parker (Ind) that such amendments could "wreck the whole plan".

Councillors were considering the findings of Richard Hickman, the Scottish Government Reporter who presided over a three-month public inquiry into the plan which, itself, was five years in the preparation and, for the first time, covered the entire region.

He made several major changes to the draft document drawn up by SBC planners, including the removal of Netherbarns near Galashiels as a site for 70 houses.