Thursday April 23rd 2026
Lodge House at Scott Park
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Approval has been granted for the conversion of a landmark building at the entrance to a Borders park into a family home.
The former lodge house at Scott Park in Galashiels was previously owned by Scottish Borders Council.
When the property was put up for sale last year it attracted a lot of interest.
It was sold for 90 per cent more than the asking price of £70,000 and is now to become a family home.
An application was submitted to SBC for the erection of a 1.8 metres high boarded fence at the curtilage of the category C listed building, incorporating vehicle gates, with a pedestrian gate to the rear.
The bid also called for a garden shed to the rear of the house in the private garden area and a timber garage with mono pitch roof.
The property is on a busy route that bypasses the town centre and the aim was to enable privacy for the new occupants.
But the plans raised concern with the council’s heritage and design officer over their scale and a revised submission lowering the visual impact has now been rubber-stamped.
SBC planning officer Carlos Clarke, in his report approving the revised plans, stated: “The proposals as originally submitted would amount to a fairly significant domestication and heavy enclosure of the site, with high timber fencing proposed alongside its frontage, down the side and to the rear which, on its own, would have a substantial visual impact.
“When added to the proposed garage and shed, the overall effect would be somewhat overwhelming on the lodge.
“The heritage officer’s concerns were all, therefore, fully acknowledged and understood.
“However, the applicant’s requirement for privacy is also understandable, and it is not unusual for lodges to have some degree of enclosure alongside the driveways they were originally intended to oversee, along with fairly simple incidental buildings to their rear.
“Collectively, however, the sheds and fencing, particularly the 1.8m close-boarded fencing proposed to the side of the lodge, would amount to a substantial visual erosion of the character of the site.
“Some degree of balance would, therefore, be needed in this case, albeit within the overarching statutory requirement to have regard to the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building.
“The proposals also lacked clarity on aspects associated with the hard-standings designed to provide parking and access to the garage.
“The applicant has, however, since submitted revisions which omit the 1m high fencing proposed beyond the frontage, which is instead to be hedged, with some shrubbery, supersede the proposal for 1.8m fencing across the frontage and to the west side with 1m high fencing, along with hedging and shrubbery.
“It has been clarified the driveway will match the existing on a simple straight in-out layout. Though it will be tarred, this would match the existing and would be the most logical treatment for simplifying the visual impact
“It is my interpretation that, though this retains a sense of enclosure and will provide privacy to the rear garden as required by the applicant, it does so in a manner that will retain the key areas of openness required to the front and side of the curtilage, and should result in a reasonable impact on the setting of the listed building.”
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