New jobs to be created in Berwickshire after planning bid green light

The Duns-based Thorburn Group, which specialises in creating steel frame buildings, has a bulging order book.

But it needs to move from its current base at Station Road in Duns to meet the demand.

The urgency of the situation was heightened after a fire at its base last year.

Now the company has been given the green light by Scottish Borders Council for a change of use of agricultural land to form an industrial site made up of three commercial units at Cheeklaw Farm, adjacent to Duns Industrial Estate on Station Road.

A spokesperson for the Thorburn Group’s agent, East Linton-based Apt Planning and Development, said: “The company now needs to move to relocate to larger and more appropriate premises.

“A purpose built site will support the growth of the business and the creation of over 30 new full-time equivalent jobs.

“It has outgrown its current location, whilst a fire earlier in 2021 has further compromised its current capacity and ability to meet its commitments.

“The business has a healthy order book and it’s critical that it makes the necessary investment now to enable it to continue to thrive.

“In this instance the application meets the policy criteria with regards to justifying development outwith the settlement boundary of Duns.

“The site represents the logical expansion of Duns Industrial Estate whilst there are no impacts of any significance that would justify the refusal of the application.”

The application did attract a letter of objection from Labeyrie Fine Foods, based in Station Road, Duns, amid fears that the proposed development would “give rise to road safety concerns within the industrial estate”.

One of the conditions imposed before work commences is that engineering details for the proposed alterations and upgrading of the public road and parking at the site have been submitted and agreed in writing by the planning authority.

The Thornton Group was established in Duns in 1947 and has remained in the town ever since. It has been based at the current Station Road premises since 1968.