Opposition to dome reaching fever pitch

Opposition to an inflatable sports pitch proposed by St Mary’s School’s in Melrose is growing, with more angry residents turning up at the town’s community council meeting last Wednesday to register objections.
Les Ainslie in Melrose.Les Ainslie in Melrose.
Les Ainslie in Melrose.

Last month, we told how Les Ainslie had warned fellow residents about plans by the day and boarding prep school’s headmaster to site an inflatable structure big enough to house four tennis courts just yards from his home in Abbey Mill Park.

Then, he said: “If it goes through, it’s going to be a bigger blot on the landscape than anything else I can imagine.”

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He was back last week, accompanied by more residents of the street, as the school has now officially lodged its application for the facility with Scottish Borders Council planners.

That alone was enough to incense Les’s next-door neighbour Wendy Morrall.

She told the community council: “Last month, the headmaster said in the paper he would be consulting with residents before the final plans were put in place, but the first we knew of the plans going in was a letter from the council informing us of this.

“Having had a look at the plans, it’s clear a lot of work has gone into this, but because that consultation has not taken place, we do not have a lot of time to properly prepare our objections to it as we only have until March 6.”

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Mrs Morrall, who moved to Melrose from Cheshire with husband Rob 18 years ago, added: “To respond to something as significant as that, you want a lot more time.

“There are people who have lived here all their life who walk along the riverside to the chain bridge.

“I think they are forgetting the significance of the bridge and how many people every day walk their dogs across it.

“Also, I enjoy watching the kids play sport on the field, but at night it’s black and so quiet we can hear the river.

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“When the compressor is on 24 hours a day, that’s the only thing you will hear, no matter how they try to mask the noise.

“We will lose the light during the day as well. We are south-facing, and there will just a be a huge shadow across the back garden.

“We’ve talked to friends who live in other parts of Melrose and they are horrified.”

Mr Morrall added: “It’s really disappointing that the school, having been in the community for hundreds of years, did not hold a meeting to let residents know what it was proposing. It seems as though the school has fudged it in under the radar.

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“It’s a completely inappropriate structure in a natural beauty spot, especially with its proximity to Melrose Abbey.

“It will affect tourism and make a mess of the whole area.”

Original complainer Mr Ainslie has since had his house valued with the facility in mind and said it would cost him lots of money if he sells up.

He said: “I simply won’t want to live there any longer.

“I’ve had the house assessed, and it seems that I will lose £70,000 because of this inflatable pitch. Who the hell would even think about buying my house with that outside?”

The Southern asked the Abbey Court school’s headmaster, Liam Harvey, why it did not, as previously promised, consult residents before putting in its application.

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He replied: “Following a series of consultations, the school has now submitted a formal planning application for the construction of a new covered sports facility on its existing playing fields.

“The school is extremely mindful of its setting within the historic town of Melrose and, if approved, we hope the new facilities can be a great asset to the local community.”

There was some debate as to the community’s need for the facility at last week’s meeting, however.

Chairman William Windram said: “The school has said it would be valuable for the community, but I am unsure of any club which said they need this.”

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Mr Ainslie is urging as many people as possible to lodge an objection, saying: “If more than five people object, it has to go in front of the planning committee.”

The plans can be seen at eplanning.scotborders.gov.uk/online-applications/
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