Tuesday March 31st 2026
West Grove Apartments.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Residents in an over-55s housing development in Melrose have failed in an attempt to curtail a new homes complex on their doorstep.
An application from Rural Renaissance for the change of use of 1 To 7 West Grove in Waverley Road to form five houses and two flats, with 15 car parking spaces, has been approved.
Back in 2017 the vacant building, formerly Scottish Water offices, received never-enacted upon planning approval for conversion to a gym and spa club.
Some residents living in the neighbouring West Grove Apartments were among 16 objections to the new housing bid.
They argued they had been misled into buying their properties due to the promised gym, and labelled the latest proposal as over-development.
At a meeting of Scottish Borders Council’s Planning & Building Standards Committee, objector James Murray, a resident of West Grove, told the committee: “We were attracted to the apartment because it was an over-55 development. Another attraction was we were told there was to be a gymnasium and spa in the vacant property adjacent to us.
“This obviously did not happen and we are now faced with an application which appears to us to be cramming in as many properties as possible into a limited space for maximum profit.
“With the addition of new properties into an already limited area it is inevitable that residents will be living in close proximity to each other. Therefore we think it would be sensible to designate the new properties as homes for over-55s, thus allowing for a compatible community where residents have similar lifestyles and expectations.”
In response, Ross Martin, from RM architecture, as agent for the occupant, said the development offered “secure, high-quality living spaces”.
He added: “This very same building design previously held planning consent to operate as a gym and a spa facility.
“Consider the realities of a commercial gym. It would bring a high volume of daily footfall, significant transient traffic and extended operating hours from early morning until late at night in the middle of a residential area.
“By stark contrast residential apartments are a quiet, low intensity use. Converting this building into homes will generate a fraction of the traffic, remove entirely the threat of commercial noise during unsocial hours and protect the privacy of neighbouring properties.”
Councillors unanimously approved the application after a request for a site visit was rejected.
Councillor Donald Moffat, SNP for Mid-Berwickshire, said: “If it was me I would prefer to have houses rather than gym next door to me.”
Councillor Neil Richards, Conservative for Hawick & Denholm. added: “We need more residential properties in a place like Melrose and I support this.”
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