Storage plant bid for Innerleithen back on agenda
PLANS for a major commercial storage container plant on a former gas works site in Innerleithen, refused due to flood risk and safety fears, are back on the agenda.
Planning permission had been sought from Scottish Borders Council in July last year to site 30 storage containers on land west of Pirn Haugh in Princes Street.
But the application generated some objection comments from local residents, one saying: “This facility would result in an increase in large/heavy vehicles at hours of the day that coincide with children making their way to school.
“The access road (Princes Street) is on a designated school walking route, which increases the risk to children and their carers on their way to St. Ronan’s PS.”
In his report refusing the application, SBC lead planning officer Carlos Clarke said: “Siting the containers would lead to loss of floodplain capacity and, therefore, potentially increase flood risk to other properties.
“The applicant was advised to reduce the extent of development so it is limited to the northern half of the site, but they advised that would result in only six to seven containers, making the use unviable economically.”
Now members of Scottish Borders Council’s Local Review Body are being asked to overturn the refusal when they meet on Monday, April 15.
A supporting statement from Galashiels-based Ferguson Planning, on behalf of the applicant Murray Campbell,
says: “It is considered that the proposed development would not constitute a high-risk development that is vulnerable to flooding nor would it materially increase the probability of flooding elsewhere.
“The proposal represents a use on a brownfield site that would be of equal vulnerability to flooding as the existing use.
“The proposed development would not increase the risk of surface water flooding any further than the current situation, nor reduce the functional flood plain given the existing hardstanding on site.”