Tuesday October 27th 2026
The new homes
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Endorsement will be recommended next week for almost 60 new affordable homes on the site a former Scottish Borders woollen mill.
The proposal is for a new social housing development 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.
It lies in a brown field, in proximity to a mix of industrial, residential and natural features, near the A7 corridor.
The proposal from Scottish Borders Housing Association is for 59 homes at a new low-rise social housing development comprising of two-storey dwellings and cottage flats, all with private gardens.
Scottish Borders Council’s Planning and Building Standards Committee will be recommended to approve the development when they meet on Monday, November 2,
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.”
Tweet Share on FacebookNews
