
Appeal bid for ‘coffee stops' on Scotland-England border rejected
The bid was refused and the applicant submitted an appeal to members of Scottish Borders Council's Local Review Body.
But by a majority of five to four, the application was refused by the body's members.
The facilities were earmarked alongside the site of the Redeswire Fray, one of the last Border battles which took place in 1575, and included the formation of hard-standing areas for public seating.
READ MORE:
Boutique hotel and restaurant in historic Scottish location goes on market
Indian restaurant chain to open new spot on busy Glasgow square
Lidl to invest £500m in its expansion as it eyes new sites in Scotland
The applicants had also proposed to provide two toilets and to locate Highland cattle at the site.
But the bid raised a number of objections, including one from the provider of the existing Reiver's View coffee stop in the area.
Concerns were also raised over the bid being detrimental to retailers in Jedburgh town centre, being incongruous to its surroundings, with the presence of a gas pipeline at the lay-by raising health and safety concerns.
Mid Berwickshire councillor Donald Moffat said: 'I've been at that lay-by quite a lot over the years and I think that what is proposed would spoil the setting for the actual thing for the tourists who stop and take pictures there.
'Apart from being out of keeping, it could encourage people to cross the road to a bigger setting and take pictures beside the Highland cattle.'
Hawick and Hermitage councillor Jane Cox disagreed, saying: 'I do not think this would be out of place and I think it would be very good addition for tourists who stop there to look at the views and I have no problem with it.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Powys County Times
25 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Oil industry could see job cuts like Grangemouth every fortnight, report warns
The number of jobs in the UK oil and gas sector could plunge to just 57,000 in the next few years, with a report warning there could be the equivalent of 400 cut every fortnight. That level of job losses would be the same as the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery every two weeks, according to research by Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University. It said in 'low-case scenarios', where the UK makes 'slower progress' as the country transitions towards renewable energy, jobs in the oil and gas workforce would drop from 115,000 at present to 'as low as 57,000 by the early 2030s'. The report added this would be a 'reduction of around 400 jobs – equivalent to the closure of the Grangemouth refinery – every two weeks'. With almost one in 30 Scottish workers currently employed in either the offshore energy sector, or an industry which supports it – compared to one in 220 across the UK – it highlighted how the 'potential risks for Scotland's supply chain and workforce are substantial'. Figures for 2024 show there were 154,000 people employed in the offshore energy sector – with 75% in the oil and gas sector and the remaining 25% in renewables. The Striking The Balance report noted the production of oil is now down by 'almost 75% from its peak' in 1999-2000, when it produced the equivalent of 4.5 million barrels of oil per day. This has now dropped to 1.09 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, with the report noting that without new licences being granted 'the oil and gas industry is forecast to decline by around 95% by 2050 from 2024 levels'. The report said: 'Depending on which scenario will play out, the direct and indirect UK oil and gas workforce is expected to fall from 115,000 to between 57,000 and 71,000 by the early 2030s, with further declines to between 33,000 and 48,000 by 2035.' SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Westminster to act in the wake of the report. He said: 'The independent expert advice is clear, we will see a Grangemouth scale of job losses each and every fortnight if the UK Government does not shift from its misguided position and protect the energy industry of today, so that the workforce can use their skills and expertise to develop the net zero industries of tomorrow. 'The opportunities of net zero are enormous but they will not be realised if the Labour Government continues with its current fiscal regime that deters stability, confidence and investment in existing industries and we therefore lose our best people, and world-class supply chain, to nations elsewhere.' Scottish Conservative energy spokesman and North East Scotland MSP Douglas Lumsden insisted however that both the Scottish and UK governments need to change their approach. He said the 'alarming' report 'lays bare the economic vandalism caused by both Labour and the SNP's opposition to oil and gas'. He added: 'John Swinney and Keir Starmer have disgracefully sat back while jobs continue to be lost throughout the sector as both remain totally oblivious to the fact that renewables alone can't yet satisfy our energy needs.' Pressed on the issue in Holyrood, Scottish climate action minister Alasdair Allan vowed ministers will 'learn' from the report, saying: 'We hope the UK Government will too.' While some areas regarding energy are devolved to Holyrood, he added that others are reserved to Westminster and 'we must get helpful decisions from the UK Government'. He said the UK Government could provide a 'full funding package' for the Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire in next week's comprehensive spending review. A spokesperson for the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'We have taken rapid steps to deliver the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers in a fair and orderly transition as part of our Plan for Change, including by making the biggest investment in offshore wind and two first-of-a-kind carbon capture storage clusters.


The Herald Scotland
31 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Visiting Melrose, a 'well-to-do oasis' in the Scottish Borders
Rambling around the abbey's ruins today you get a real sense of both its original grandeur and Melrose's importance when the Cistercians chose it as the site of their first Scottish abbey after David I granted them permission to build in 1136. (Image: Borders Abbey Way) Melrose saw off the Romans, too, letting them mess around with building the doomed Antonine Wall using the Trimontium fort here as a supply depot, before the local tribes combined to kick them out. They were expelled with such force the director of the town's Trimontium Museum, John Reid, once told me: 'Scotland was Rome's Afghanistan'. As well as all manner of exhibits on a Roman theme you can fulfil childhood fantasies and dress up as a scarlet-clad legionnaire or hurl back in time to the days when emperors visited Scotland's largest Roman fort with the aid of the striking new virtual reality headsets in the impressive museum extension that opened last year. You'll need more of your own imagination out at the sprawling fort site, though information boards tell the tales we know so far and the most northerly amphitheatre in the Roman Empire has been unearthed. They've just secured the site for another 25 years so expect some serious digging to follow once all of the usual hurdles have been overcome. This town on the mighty River Tweed swims in history far beyond the Romans. Legend has it King Arthur still lies interred in the Eildon Hills that gave the Romans inspiration for naming their fort. A much earlier Iron Age fortification sits atop one of the three Eildons, offering views of the Tweed Valley, easily up there with the more celebrated 'Scott's View' nearby. (Image: Getty Images) Also in the shadow of the Eildons, just a short walk south of Trimontium, is the Rhymer's Stone. It is on the site where the Eildon Tree once stood, the arbour that transported Thomas the Rhymer off from the Thirteenth Century into the magical world of the fairies. At the time the prophecies and 'wisdom' he returned with were not treated like fairytales. Perhaps King Alexander III should have paid more heed as the soothsayer predicted the monarch's tragic death on that stormy night in Fife. Grounding ourselves back in the solid stone reality of Melrose's High Street, I find the town's residents proud both of their history but also of how Melrose shapes up today. No massive supermarkets – or small ones for that matter – suck the lifeblood out of Melrose's core, which unfurls around a grand mercat cross topped with a unicorn. What Melrose does have is proper wee businesses: an old-world butcher, deli, galleries, wines store, antique shops and even a book binder. There is, too, of course, a locally made Melrose Gin. (Image: Robin McKelvie) Nick Henderson, whose family have run Burt's Hotel for 54 years – and the Townhouse Hotel across the road for 21 years – told me: 'Melrose is a town with one foot in the past and one foot in the present. We are proud of both here and you can easily enjoy both sides as a visitor, which is a large part I think of why people love to come here.' Visitors do come to Melrose but mercifully they don't descend in the campervan-driven hordes that can blight other holiday spots in Scotland. Bar the summer book festival and the annual Melrose Sevens rugby extravaganza, I've never found Melrose overrun. Its environs make the town itself look like Manhattan. On this visit I hiked on the Borders Abbeys Way from Sir Walter's Scott's old Tweed-side gaff at Abbotsford all the way up through the forests and farmland to Lindean Loch and didn't see another human. (Image: Robin McKelvie) At Lindean Loch I did encounter Laura Mitchell, the bubbly presence behind Cedar Hus Sauna. They don't mess about in this corner of Scotland and, pleasantries exchanged, Laura soon led me into the chill waters. Laura wasn't done with just a post-swim sauna either, as she imbued the steam with the spirit-soaring scent of pine, then proceeded to thrash me with birch in a scene definitely more Malmo than Melrose. The Borders Abbeys Way is just one of the impressive local walks. You can hike off from Melrose Abbey on a 68-mile circular hike around the quartet of ruined Borders abbeys or continue the ecclesiastic theme joining St Cuthbert on his way – a 62-mile march south across the border to Lindisfarne. If you're really keen, you can bash over west to Portpatrick on the Atlantic coast, for a challenging long-distance trail that sweeps you from the Borders 215 miles west to the far extremities of Dumfries and Galloway. Community-led Melrose Paths publish a wee map and leaflet revealing some more modest local walks. All too soon – it always is with Melrose – I was leaving, joining the Borders Abbeys Way again as it snakes off west from Melrose along the Tweed. It was just me, a brace of dog walkers, a gaggle of ducks and a buzzard doing a decent eagle impression on the three miles walk along the river and back to Tweedbank railway station. The train nips you from here to Edinburgh in just an hour. I strongly suggest you enjoy a voyage in the other direction and explore the most trim of the Borders market towns. Foodie Melrose Tempest Brewing Co You'd expect a brilliant new venue from a brilliant family-owned brewery and this doesn't disappoint. No mere brewery, this vast space is also a US-style taproom, beer hall, well-stocked shop, beer garden and an informal restaurant. Wash the smash burgers down with beers from the 16 taps, all within staggering distance of Tweedbank railway station. The Townhouse Run by James, brother of Burt's owner Nick, James, there is the choice again between two dining spaces – this time the bright brasserie or the slightly more formal restaurant. Local produce abounds in both. Kick off with the likes of haggis pakora or locally smoked trout, before a sirloin of Borders beef, or sea bream fillets spiced with a Thai curry sauce. Burt's Owner Nick Henderson ensures local produce and local butcher meat feature heavily on both the bar and the restaurant menu. Kick off with the likes of Belhaven smoked salmon then move on to a rump of perfectly pink Borders lamb. They stock the excellent ales from local brewery Tempest Brewery Co too. Bed Down in Melrose Burt's Hotel In the same family – the Hendersons – for five decades, this trim, welcoming hotel on the High Street is perfectly located. Choose from 20 en suite rooms. I first stayed here almost two decades ago and it has barely changed – here that is a very good thing at a traditional hotel that still has an old school residents lounge. The Townhouse Just across the road from Burt's Hotel, this equally welcoming bolthole is also owned and run by the ubiquitous Hendersons. It has a bit more of a contemporary boutique vibe but is still cosy. Harmony House A grand old stone dame owned by the National Trust for Scotland. This palatial retreat is ideal for extended families or groups of friends, as it sleeps a dozen in some comfort. This self-catering option feels like having your own mini-Abbotsford in the heart of Melrose. You also enjoy privileged access to the celebrated Harmony Garden.


South Wales Guardian
35 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Oil industry could see job cuts like Grangemouth every fortnight, report warns
That level of job losses would be the same as the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery every two weeks, according to research by Aberdeen's Robert Gordon University. It said in 'low-case scenarios', where the UK makes 'slower progress' as the country transitions towards renewable energy, jobs in the oil and gas workforce would drop from 115,000 at present to 'as low as 57,000 by the early 2030s'. The report added this would be a 'reduction of around 400 jobs – equivalent to the closure of the Grangemouth refinery – every two weeks'. With almost one in 30 Scottish workers currently employed in either the offshore energy sector, or an industry which supports it – compared to one in 220 across the UK – it highlighted how the 'potential risks for Scotland's supply chain and workforce are substantial'. Figures for 2024 show there were 154,000 people employed in the offshore energy sector – with 75% in the oil and gas sector and the remaining 25% in renewables. The Striking The Balance report noted the production of oil is now down by 'almost 75% from its peak' in 1999-2000, when it produced the equivalent of 4.5 million barrels of oil per day. This has now dropped to 1.09 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, with the report noting that without new licences being granted 'the oil and gas industry is forecast to decline by around 95% by 2050 from 2024 levels'. The report said: 'Depending on which scenario will play out, the direct and indirect UK oil and gas workforce is expected to fall from 115,000 to between 57,000 and 71,000 by the early 2030s, with further declines to between 33,000 and 48,000 by 2035.' SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn challenged Westminster to act in the wake of the report. He said: 'The independent expert advice is clear, we will see a Grangemouth scale of job losses each and every fortnight if the UK Government does not shift from its misguided position and protect the energy industry of today, so that the workforce can use their skills and expertise to develop the net zero industries of tomorrow. 'The opportunities of net zero are enormous but they will not be realised if the Labour Government continues with its current fiscal regime that deters stability, confidence and investment in existing industries and we therefore lose our best people, and world-class supply chain, to nations elsewhere.' Scottish Conservative energy spokesman and North East Scotland MSP Douglas Lumsden insisted however that both the Scottish and UK governments need to change their approach. He said the 'alarming' report 'lays bare the economic vandalism caused by both Labour and the SNP's opposition to oil and gas'. He added: 'John Swinney and Keir Starmer have disgracefully sat back while jobs continue to be lost throughout the sector as both remain totally oblivious to the fact that renewables alone can't yet satisfy our energy needs.' Pressed on the issue in Holyrood, Scottish climate action minister Alasdair Allan vowed ministers will 'learn' from the report, saying: 'We hope the UK Government will too.' While some areas regarding energy are devolved to Holyrood, he added that others are reserved to Westminster and 'we must get helpful decisions from the UK Government'. He said the UK Government could provide a 'full funding package' for the Acorn carbon capture and storage project in Aberdeenshire in next week's comprehensive spending review. A spokesperson for the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: 'We have taken rapid steps to deliver the next generation of good jobs for North Sea workers in a fair and orderly transition as part of our Plan for Change, including by making the biggest investment in offshore wind and two first-of-a-kind carbon capture storage clusters. 'This comes alongside Great British Energy, headquartered in Aberdeen, which has already announced a £300 million investment into British supply chains, unlocking significant investment and helping to create thousands of skilled jobs