D-Day arrives for Melrose brothers' planning bid

D-Day arrives next week for two brothers from Melrose’s long-running bid to relocate their agricultural machinery dealership to an adjoining brownfield site.
Andrew and Garry Wight.Andrew and Garry Wight.
Andrew and Garry Wight.

Andrew and Garry Wight are directors with agricultural and engineering company AB Wight on the Charlesfield Industrial Estate at St Boswells.

They want to relocate to an adjoining 1.7 acre piece of land that they have acquired.

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But a planning application submitted to Scottish Borders Council to transfer operations to the former Slaters Yard site was originally refused because it was not in accordance with the local authority’s Local Development Plan.

It was felt the brothers had not fully considered the option of moving to a site within Charlesfield Industrial Estate or to an alternative location within the central Borders.

The brothers counter-argued that there was an operational need to move to their preferred site as they looked to expand the business, which was established in 2012.

When the council’s Local Review Body met on Monday, November 15, members were tied three votes to three on whether to agree an appeal against refusal.

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Members delayed a final verdict in order that ‘written not word of mouth’ evidence was presented, demonstrating that an alternative site was not available.

And when members of the committee reconvene on Monday, January 17, they will be asked to make a final decision – dependent on the evidence presented to them.