To bee or not to bee as plans lodged for former school

A former Borders primary school is set to become a hive of activity again as a bee-keeping supply firm prepares to move into it.

Caddon Hives is a family-run business established in 2005 and currently located in the industrial estate at Tweedvale Mills West in Walkerburn.

The business offers bee-keeping services to online customers along with education, advice and training services.

Now the company is poised to move into the old Caddonfoot Primary School near Clovenfords.

Planning approval for the move was granted in 2020, just before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the company has now submitted a revised planning bid in relation to altered car parking arrangements ahead of the move finally becoming a reality.

A report submitted with the application, from Edinburgh-based planning and property consultants Ericht, says: “The company has a strong customer base and has begun serving local walk-in customers and providing bee-keeping demonstrations for educational purposes.

“Caddon Hives is understood to be one of only two bee-keeping supply outlets in Scotland, the other being located in Fife.

“It currently operates from a warehouse-type facility within the vicinity of industrial uses and this does not provide a suitable environment for visiting customers.

“The proposal approved in 2020 is to change the use of the existing former Caddonfoot Primary School to an online and over-the-counter sales shop offering the sale of bee-keeping equipment, including bee hives, with associated education, advice, training and honey extraction services also being available.

“A key business activity is importing beehives, accessories and protective clothing which are sold through an e-commerce website. There has, however, been a growing number of local walk-in customers whom the company wishes to serve and there has also been growing demand for a beehive assembly service.

“The former primary school building has in recent years been subject to vandalism, with much of the lead having been stolen from the roof. Should the building continue to remain unoccupied, without meaningful maintenance, it is at risk of deterioration beyond viable recovery.”