Fears voiced that demolition of pub will leave gaping hole in Selkirk town centre

Scottish Borders Council plans to have the old Cross Keys Inn knocked down within the next few months, but what form its replacement will take is yet to be decided.

It is hoped, however, that getting rid of the pub will enable further redevelopment of the Walter Scott courthouse building next door.

Close to £1.5m has already been spent on Selkirk’s conservation area regeneration scheme, including major restoration work to the courthouse and town clock spire, as well as rejigging the layout of Market Place.

The council and Live Borders have pledged to work with townsfolk to replace the demolished pub with something that “meets the needs of Selkirk and is financially sustainable”.

Selkirkshire councillor Caroline Penman has deep concerns over the future of the site, however.

Mrs Penman, boss of the post office across the square from the former pub, abstained from voting in favour of a 4.8% hike in council tax at last week’s full council meeting over fears that money earmarked to be spent in Selkirk could now be diverted as a result of November’s fire at Peebles High School.

She said: “I abstained in the vote because Selkirk is not getting a new high school in the near future, there’s cuts to bus services and there was nothing coming back to Selkirk.

“It was my view that I could not justify voting for a 4.8% increase in council tax for constituents in my area when they are seeing very little value for money.

“The Cross Keys is right next to the Walter Scott courthouse and is in a dangerous condition.

“This is only being earmarked for demolition, with no firm plan in place as to what will replace it other than a big gaping hole in our newly-refurbished town centre.

“I am looking at it right now because it is just across from my shop and there is a crack on the first floor and it has got dry rot within it.

“Maybe it’s not impacting on the actual town hall, but there are houses next door which are attached, so is it going to impact on them?

“There were plans drawn up to put a visitor centre in there, but these have now been taken off the agenda because of Peebles High School.

“What I would like to see done is for a building to go in its place, whether it’s a heritage hub or a place where you could maybe go and trace your family tree, with maybe room for exhibitions as well.

“With all the money spent on Market Place, very few empty shops in Selkirk and a farmers’ market once a month, we’re doing all we can through the business improvement district scheme to improve footfall through the town, but one of the main buildings in Selkirk, one of the oldest in the town centre, is going to be left to rack and ruin basically.

“As it stands at the moment, it is an eyesore, and it’s not going to get any better any time soon.

“There are many positive things being done, and this seems to be the one thing that’s going to be the elephant in the room.”

The Cross Keys, once a popular pub, was opened over a century ago and closed in 2011.

It was bought by the council in 2014, after being left boarded up for three years.

Its aim was to convert it into a community hub, but that use had to be abandoned after a few months following the discovery of extensive dry rot, leaving demolition as the only viable option.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The council acquired the former Cross Keys Inn in Selkirk town centre in 2014 as part of an ambitious redevelopment plan connected to the restoration of the adjacent Walter Scott courthouse and made use of it as a community hub.

“The £431,000 courthouse restoration was the centrepiece of the Selkirk conservation area regeneration scheme programme and has safeguarded the future of the town centre building where Walter Scott dispensed justice to the people of Selkirkshire in the early 19th century.

“Any further phases of development will require grants or funding from third parties.

“The council and Live Borders will continue to work with the community to develop a proposition for this building that meets the needs of Selkirk, is financially sustainable and can be developed by securing funds from as wide a set of organisations as is possible.

“The Cross Keys property, which had previously lain empty for a number of years, has deteriorated in condition and it is uneconomical to retain.

“Any regeneration plan will require its demolition given it is in such an advanced stage of dereliction. Consequently, the building will be demolished in the coming months as a piece of enabling work for a future project.”