Cafe plan off menu

A bid to turn these Hawick premises into a cafe has been withdrawn.

A bid to to convert a former solicitors office in Hawick into a cafe has been withdrawn after it raised a stink with neighbours.

A planning bid was submitted to Scottish Borders Council for the change of use of 60 High Street, home to the former Robert More & Co premises.

But the bid raised the hackles of people living nearby, amid concerns of cooking smells impacting their homes.

One objector commented: “I object to this project due to the close proximity to my flat. I have seen the plans for an extractor fan. The smell will go right into my flat and other ones as well. There is also a fire hazard due to it being in between buildings.”

Another objector said: “We do not want flues or extractor fans facing our windows and our back court yard. We also don’t want people standing at the back smoking or rubbish lying outside.”