Borders bowling club hoping for green light for expansion

The popularity of the sport has surged in recent years among people of all ages and nowhere more so than at Peebles Bowling Club at Walker’s Haugh.

With their membership growing, their clubhouse needs to be extended and upgraded to cope with demand, according to officials there.

A planning application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council for side extensions to the clubhouse with internal alterations and for relocation of a storage building.

A report submitted with the application says the prominence of the clubhouse would be retained whilst providing “modern facilities fit for the 21st century”.

It says: “Several factors have influenced the design of the additional accommodation needed for the club to grow – sight lines within a conservation area, the green being bounded by roads and residential dwellings and the land currently underdeveloped around the green is limited and geometrically awkward to develop and the clubhouse, whilst small, is particularly attractive and has a degree of charm that we wish to retain and enhance.

“The need to increase the size of the changing facilities and for additional catering facilities dictates the amount of additional space required either side of the clubhouse.”

The club started out in 1829 behind Castlehill, relocating to its current site in 1874, and their clubhouse was extended in the 1970s and 1980s.

As part of the proposed work the walls to the rear of the clubhouse would also be enhanced.

The report adds: “The development proposals maintain the sense of place created by the historic clubhouse whilst making it fit for a new generation of lawn bowls enthusiasts.

“Peebles Bowling Club have seen demand for access to their green and associated facilities grow over the last few years.

“Membership has doubled throughout the pandemic and the building needs to be extended and upgraded to meet both demand and people’s expectations.