Choice is ‘restoration or loss’ of historic Borders country house
The choice is “restoration or loss” of a historic Scottish Borders coun try house, a developer has warned in its submission o f housing plans to Scottish Borders Council.
Fortis Homes wants to redevelop the Gattonside House estate near Melrose.
The plans include the retention and restoration of the category B listed building alongside new homes on the site.
The application proposes the conversion of Gattonside House into 14 residential flats and the restoration of two further listed buildings on the estate, together with 34 new homes – 12 of them affordable.
Wider proposals include a café and padel courts, providing facilities for residents and the community.
Gattonside House has been vacant for 17 years, and the decay associated with that period of neglect is now accelerating.
Condition surveys commissioned by Fortis Homes since it acquired the estate nine months ago have recorded “measurable further deterioration” over that short period, including wet and dry rot throughout the building, resulting in collapse of much of the internal structure. The building has been made safe and secured, but Fortis Homes’ proposals provide a programme of full refurbishment to urgently halt the degradation of the building.
Fortis Homes’ application follows two pre-application processes, including engagement events at Gattonside Village Hall, meetings with local and district councillors, and a site walkaround attended by more than 50 residents and stakeholders.
Feedback received during the consultation process has been reviewed and, where possible, reflected in the plans. This includes the decision not to progress the previously proposed holiday lets.
Doug Innes, Fortis Homes managing director, believes Gattonside House is “a building worth saving”, but says the case for saving it is “getting harder every month it stands open to the elements”.
He added: “In the nine months we have owned the building, we have watched its condition move in one direction, and we are now at the point where prompt intervention is the difference between restoration and loss.
“This has not been a straightforward development to make work. The cost and complexity of restoring a listed building of this scale, with its multiple and unpredictable risks, are considerable.
“The submitted design provides a financially viable route to restoration, funded through a carefully considered mix of affordable and private homes.
“We have engaged openly and positively with the community and elected members throughout the last nine months, and we have changed the proposals, where possible, in response to what we heard.
“We’ve been encouraged by the level of local engagement and a general sense that the community welcomes the opportunity to see a long-neglected site generated and Gattonside House safeguarded.
“We now hope for a proactive and timely determination so work on Gattonside House can start to halt the deterioration. We look forward to working with Scottish Borders Council as it considers the application.”
For further details on the Gattonside project, visit gattonsidedevelopments.co.