Thursday January 8th 2026
InPost locker in Denholm
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
An “eyesore” self-service parcel locker that split opinion in a Borders village has been refused retrospective planning approval.
The InPost Locker was sited at The Auld Bakery at Westside in Denholm without prior planning approval from Scottish Borders Council.
Now a retrospective application has been refused after it was deemed to be “harmful to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area”.
The locker divided opinion among villagers with some offering their support but with a number of objections too.
Those in favour claimed it represented an asset to the community and supported postal services.
Objectors said it created a traffic hazard with “collection vans parking on double yellow lines on the corner of an already dangerous junction”.
An InPost Locker is a 24/7, self-service parcel locker for convenient online shopping, allowing you to send, collect, and return parcels at your own schedule, using a QR code or app for access.
One objector stated: “The installation of this pick-up point makes a mockery of the lengths others have had to go to satisfy the planning department and should never be allowed.
“It is an eyesore visible from the far end of the High Road and does nothing to enhance or improve the local area. It supplies an unnecessary service as the Post Office already provides a parcel collection service.”
A supporter countered, saying: “It is necessary for our village to move with the times and for us to adapt and accept change. Parcel deliveries are now an accepted part of our daily lives.
“It creates a 24 hour parcel service, complimenting the postal service and does not create any more parking issues than those that already exist and will make better use of limited availability of parking by allowing access to the service outside of shop opening times.”
But in his report refusing the application, Alla Hassan, SBC’s assistant planning officer, states: “While the public benefit of the facility to the local community is acknowledged, the parcel locker by virtue of its positioning and materials represents an incongruous feature within an otherwise simple and traditional streetscape and is therefore harmful to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.
“Although the harm is reversible to some degree, given that the structure is not physically attached to the building, its siting remains detrimental to the visual amenity of the area and fails to preserve its character and appearance.”
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