Berwickshire homes bid beside poultry manure shed falls foul of planners

The bid was submitted by Mr and Mrs O McLaren to Scottish Borders Council for bungalows on land north east of Edington Mill near Chirnside.

The applicants bought the vacant site in November 2021 with the intention of erecting an industrial shed to house their growing cleaning business.

But due to the expansion of a housing settlement at Edington Mill, with the granting of permission for four new detached dwellings on sites to the south and south west, they reconsidered the location as more suitable for housing.

In his report refusing the application, Paul Duncan, the council’s assistant planning officer, argued that the proposed homes would not be part of an “established group” as they were a “considerable distance to the north”.

He added: “Due to the distance of separation and intervening woodland, the site is not well related to that group.”

The application did generate support from villagers, including Kirsty Watson, who said: “I have a dog walking business based in Chirnside and regularly walk dogs past this piece of land.

“I think this piece of land looks so untidy and I have thought often wouldn’t it be nice if something was done with it.”

However, David Runciman of Edington Mains Farmhouse, objected to the application due to its location, saying: “Our concern is that the development of residential properties adjacent to our poultry manure store would be inappropriate.

“This shed was built in 2010 for this purpose. We prefer to keep this manure dry to reduce the impact of any potential pollution.

“An application was made to extend this shed. It has been dug out and hardcore laid in preparation for this work to proceed.

“We would not want any conflicting issues arising from this development.”