Wednesday May 6th 2026
Paint Change at North Port, Hawick
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
It’s back to the future in Hawick town centre as plans emerge for changes to the colours on several shopfronts.
Shopfront changes in Hawick are currently guided by a focus on heritage, repair, and enhancing the town’s character.
The approach is heavily influenced by the Hawick Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), which ran until March 2025, and a 2026 Conservation Area Appraisal.
It’s an attempt to restore a heritage-feel to the town’s streetscape something akin to how it appeared pre-1919, with an empahsis on subtle colours and not garish colours and illuminated signage.
Now five planning applications have been submitted to Scottish Borders Council to repaint five shopfronts with subdued colours associated with the town’s heritage.
It is proposed that the former First Light Trust, now Espresso Library cafe, at 1-3 High Street, is changed from a blue paint colour frontage to a heritage navy colour.
Borders Surplus store at 27 High Street would change from a black paint colour to a heritage green, while the Jim Hay estate agent office at 51 High Street would switch from a light grey paint colour to a heritage dark grey.
The final two planned changes are for the North Point hardware store at 59 High Street, from a white paint colour to a heritage green colour, and the Mamaris barber shop at 6 Bourtree Place – from black to heritage green.
In recent years there has been a strong emphasis on restoring traditional shopfronts (pre-1919) using appropriate materials, particularly timber sash and case windows and traditional doors.
The Hawick CARS project provided grants ranging from 50%–75% for eligible repairs and restorations to conservation standards.
Recent heritage-style improvements have also been completed at locations like Bourtree Place and 3 Towerknowe.
Meanwhile, proposals that replace historic features with modern, unsuitable materials like uPVC are likely to face objection under planning guidelines, as are illuminated signage applications.
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