Saturday April 25th 2026
Heather Mills site
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Plans for almost 60 new affordable homes on a former Borders mill site have edged a step closer to reality.
The proposal is for a new social housing development at Heather Mills in Selkirk.
The site is located on the southern edge of Selkirk and is bounded by South Bridge Street to the south-west, Whinfield Road to the south-east, Riverside Road to the north-west and a commercial yard and private house to the north-east.
It lies in a brown field, in proximity to a mix of industrial, residential and natural features, near the A7 corridor.
The proposal is for a new low-rise social housing development comprising two-storey dwellings and cottage flats, all with private gardens.
Earlier this year, Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA), Smith Scott Mullan Architects, and McTaggart Construction launched a public consultation ahead of submitting a planning application for 57 homes.
Now Scottish Borders Council has deemed that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is not required for the application to proceed – thus shortening and simplifying the planning process.
In his report, Scott Shearer, SBC’s principal planning officer, states: “It would only be reasonable to suppose that the impacts of the development would be liable to be long term and permanent.
“However, this is not grounds in itself to consider the environmental effects likely to be significant enough to require an EIA.
“Whilst it is not considered that the environmental effects are liable to be so significant as to warrant a full EIA, there is still considerable potential for there to be environmental effects which may be unacceptable in their impacts upon the environment, local receptors, the site and/or the surrounding area.”
The former mill, originally named Cheviot Mill in 1864 and renamed Heather Mills in 1892, was once one of the town’s largest employers.
It closed at the start of 2009 with the loss of 31 jobs with the mill building destroyed in a fire in 2018.
SBHA chief executive Julia Mulloy said: “Scotland is facing a housing emergency, and developments like this are part of the solution.”
David Chalmers, SBHA director of Development said: “The homes we are proposing will be safe, warm, and energy-efficient, with a mix to suit different households.”
Janice Russell, managing director at McTaggart Construction commented: “We’re proud to be part of this important development for Selkirk. Our commitment is to deliver homes built to the highest standards, while supporting local employment and training opportunities throughout the construction phase.”
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