Thursday October 1st 2026
Coach House
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Go-ahead has been granted for the conversion of a Berwickshire coach house into tourist accommodation.
Scottish Borders Council has rubber-stamped the change of use of the Coach House at Haymount, at Bridgend in Duns, from ancillary residential accommodation to short term holiday let with retained domestic use.
The applicant permanently resides on site within the principal dwelling at Haymount, having purchased the property in March 2026.
The Coach House forms part of the historic curtilage of Haymount and shares access and grounds with the main house.
In a report approving the application, Jess Houghton, SBC assistant planning officer, states: “The proposal would provide additional visitor accommodation within Duns, supporting the local tourism economy and encouraging visitor spending within the town.
“The proposed development would reuse an existing building and would not result in unacceptable impacts on local amenity, the character of the area, or result in the loss of residential accommodation.”
A report with the application stated: “The accommodation will provide high-quality tourism capacity.
“It will directly support the local economy by encouraging guest expenditure at nearby destinations such as Duns town centre, the Jim Clark Motorsport Museum, historic Border towns, the wider Scottish Borders and the Berwickshire coast.
“The accommodation will cater to couples, small families and heritage tourists visiting the Scottish Borders.”
The property will be available for guest bookings for approximately 280 nights per year at an estimated average rate of £120 per night, with the gross annual revenue projected to be around £15,600.
The report adds: “A significant portion of this revenue will be reinvested locally through cleaning, laundry, property maintenance and marketing.
“Furthermore, guest spending on local food, attractions and retail will deliver direct economic benefits to Duns and the wider Scottish Borders.
“The proposal provides low intensity, highly managed holiday accommodation within the curtilage of an owner-occupied home.
“It offers demonstrable local economic benefits without adverse impacts on mainstream housing supply, historic character, traffic or neighbour amenity.”
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