Wedding venue go-ahead

The Borders is to have a new wedding venue and a base for stag hunting and deer stalking parties after the green light was given for the conversion of a five bedroom house.
By Paul Kelly
Published 12th Oct 2020, 13:56 BST
How Mutton Hall, west of Selkirk, would look if a revamp planned for it is approved.How Mutton Hall, west of Selkirk, would look if a revamp planned for it is approved.
How Mutton Hall, west of Selkirk, would look if a revamp planned for it is approved.

Planning approval has been granted for the expansion plans at Mutton Hall on the Blackhouse Estate, near St Mary’s Loch and south west of Innerleithen, potentially creating up to 10 casual jobs in the process.

Graham and Amy Allen submitted the bid to planners at Scottish Borders Council for change of use of the hall into a guest house to act as a hub for a rural tourism enterprise, together with the construction of a single-storey extension and access track.

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That expansion would build on the popularity of the hunting breaks offered by the 320-hectare estate, in the Tweedsmuir uplands special landscape area, since last year.

In his report, planning officer Brett Taylor said: “The site is well related to the existing buildings at Mutton Hall. The extension part of the development would be an appropriately scaled development and will be largely buried into the rear garden and as such it would be hidden by the topography, the existing buildings and nearby trees when viewed from surrounding areas.”

A spokesperson for the applicant’s agent, Galashiels-based Ferguson Planning, said: “The estate has offered seasonal hunting experiences on a commercial basis since 2019, making use of land which has not been forested. It is intended to help increase the number of visiting parties during the fowl season to around 12.”