Monday November 2nd 2026
Heather Mills
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Scottish Borders housing emergency was eased today after go-ahead was given to almost 60 new affordable homes on the site a former Scottish Borders woollen mill.
A total of 59 new properties are to be built at Heather Mills in Selkirk.
The site is located on the southern edge of Selkirk and is bounded by South Bridge Street to the south-west, Whinfield Road to the south-east, Riverside Road to the north-west and a commercial yard and private house to the north-east.
Scottish Borders Housing Association is to establish a new low-rise social housing development comprising of two-storey dwellings and cottage flats, all with private gardens.
It was back in May 2024 that Scottish Borders Council declared a housing emergency in the area.
It followed a doubling of social housing applications over a five-year period and record-high levels of temporary accommodation and homelessness.
When members of SBC’s Planning and Building Standards Committee met on Monday, November 2, they approved the application.
Councillor Sandy Scott said: “This is a very welcome and exciting application. We have a housing emergency. The plan is to build nine thousand new homes in next ten years across the Scottish Borders and this fits that.”
“The concept of being 59 affordable houses is to be welcomed,” said Councillor Marshall Douglas, who added: “The design of the development seems to be quite good, with modern housing and heat efficiencies and they will provide good family homes.
“There is some concerns at the loss of trees but we need houses for people.”
Four objections to the development were received, centred on loss of trees, concerns regarding asbestos contamination on the site and potential increases in traffic.
But in his report, Ian Aikman, SBC’s chief planning and housing officer, states that “on balance” the proposal was considered acceptable.
He says: “The proposed development would not represent an over-development of the site in density terms. The general scale, massing and form of the development are also considered acceptable.
“Although a mixed-use scheme would be preferable, the applicant has chosen to pursue a wholly residential development in response to housing demand. It is acknowledged that this approach represents some degree of conflict with the site’s mixed-use allocation.
“However, given the policy support for the redevelopment of brownfield land, together with the site’s allocation for development, this departure from the anticipated mix of uses is considered acceptable on balance.”
The former mill, originally named Cheviot Mill in 1864 and renamed Heather Mills in 1892, was once one of the town’s largest employers.
It closed at the start of 2009 with the loss of 31 jobs with the mill building destroyed in a fire in 2018.
SBHA chief executive Julia Mulloy said: “Scotland is facing a housing emergency, and developments like this are part of the solution.”
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