Tuesday August 12th 2025
Members of the Borders council Planning & Building Standards Committee endorsed the 79 lodge development at Rutherford Park.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Go-ahead for a near-£12m luxury holiday lodge park on a former golf course in the Scottish Borders was approved today.
Members of the council’s Planning & Building Standards Committee endorsed the 79 lodge development at Rutherford Park, between West Linton and Carlops, at their meeting on Monday, August 11.
Approval followed a site visit by committee members last week.
The application raised concerns from neighbours over loss of privacy and an increase in traffic.
The scale of the development has been significantly reduced through the planning process by the applicant, Sandy Lane Resort Rutherford Ltd.
Permission had previously been granted for a 150-bedroom hotel with leisure and conference facilities on the site but that scheme was never implemented.
In addition to the 79 holiday lodges, the project will incorporate a hub building to comprise reception, retail, leisure facilities, food and drink, with a nine hole golf course alongside alterations and refurbishment of existing clubhouse, with landscaping, including tree planting.
Councillor Eric Small, Conservative for Tweeddale West, said: “I feel that these lodges could sit quite nicely in this setting, it’s a beautiful setting, and I think personally it could fit quite nicely with the houses without much problems.
“What I would like to see is a decent pathway to West Linton, safe for children and bicycle users, because the A702 is a main artery into Edinburgh and the speed of the traffic is quite scary, so I’d like to see a safe route to the village.”
Councillor Viv Thomson, SNP for Tweeddale West, opposed the application, expressing concerns over the impact the development would have on the neighbouring community and the loss of both open space and a currently “peaceful” location.
Councillor Donald Moffat, SNP for Mid-Berwickshire, suggested planting would create a buffer to the nearby homes, adding: “This is a far superior development to the original application.”
Ahead of the meeting six key organisations issued a joint statement in support of the “wide-raging benefits” the development would have for the region.
The organisations were Borders College; Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce; Scottish Tourism Alliance; South of Scotland Destination Alliance; UK Hospitality Scotland and Houston’s Coaches.
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