We Asked, You Said, We Did

The consultation on the potential sale and repurposing of the School Brae Public Toilets in Peebles received a total of 26 responses. The comments revealed a range of opinions and concerns, which have been categorised into key themes. All comments can be seen in full in the embedded file below. 

Key Themes

1. Support for the Reuse Hub 

Several respondents expressed support for the proposal to repurpose the toilet block for the Reuse Hub. They highlighted benefits such as reducing waste, providing affordable items to the community, and the successful management of the Reuse Hub by the Peebles Community Trust. 

2. Opposition to the Sale 

A number of respondents opposed the sale and repurposing of the toilets. They emphasised the need for public toilet facilities in Peebles, especially for tourists, families with young children, and individuals with medical conditions. Concerns were raised about the impact on tourism and local businesses if public toilets are not available. 

3. Alternative Suggestions 

Some respondents suggested reopening the toilets or providing alternative facilities nearby. Proposals included collaboration with organisations like Go Tweed Valley to improve tourism facilities. 

4. Concerns about Community Trusts 

There were comments expressing scepticism about the ability of community trusts to manage the facilities effectively, citing past difficulties in securing funding and maintaining buildings. 

5. Potential Traffic and Accessibility Issues 

Concerns were raised about increased traffic and accessibility issues if the Reuse Hub is expanded. 

We will continue to liaise with Peebles Community Trust as they develop their business case for the proposed Reuse Hub in the School Brae Public Toilets building.

All comments submitted as part of this consultation have been fed back to the Trust and will inform their business case. We will ensure that any actions taken are published here to keep the community informed and engaged.

Following contact from Scottish Borders Council (SBC) with community-based organisations in Selkirk, The General Store approached SBC with a proposal to purchase the toilet block and use it as a re-use hub. SBC has no plans to re-open the toilets.

The ‘wee’ re-use hub aims to prevent items such as bric-a-brac, hardware, and textiles from ending up as waste and going to landfill. It is anticipated that items will be available by donation or free if needed, building on the regular rummage sales that The General Store holds.

Before selling the building, we sought the views of the local community. Comments could be made by completing an online form, emailing comments to communityengagement@scotborders.gov.uk, or posting comments to the SBC Communities and Partnerships Team. Comments would be shared with the team at The General Store and published on this website. No personal information would be shared.

This consultation had four questions.

We received 24 responses to the consultation. Here is a summary of the feedback:

• A majority of respondents (66.67%) agreed with the proposal to sell the former public toilets to The General Store. 
• Some respondents expressed concerns about the lack of public toilets in the area and the financial sustainability of the reuse hub. 
• Many respondents praised the idea of repurposing the building and appreciated The General Store's efforts in the community. 
• A few respondents suggested alternative uses for the building, such as a tourist information hub or additional parking spaces. 

Based on the feedback received, we are currently discussing the project viability, business case, and other considerations with officers regarding the potential sale of the public toilets to The General Store. We are committed to ensuring that the final decision takes into account both the aims of The General Store and the community's views. We will continue to keep the community informed about the progress of this project and any further developments.

We asked for you views on giving Hawick United FC a long term lease on the Derek Ramage Pavilion.

All of those that responded were supportive.

A 20-year lease is being agreed with the Club.

Thanks to all who participated in the online survey regarding what you would like to see.

The top three priority list of equipment that the community would like to see were;

• Swings
• Large multi-play unit
• Slide

Based on this, and some feedback around having goals, the proposed design has been presented. Any final comments can be made by emailing communityengagement@scotborders.gov.uk before Wednesday 28^th August, allowing for orders to be placed ahead of anticipated construction in November.

We asked for your comments on the proposal to dispose of the Linglie farm cottages and small field behind the cottages as part of an agreement for the tenant to relinquish the tenancy for the farm.

Some responses to the consultation were in favour of the disposal, others were not.

The key issues raised in the objections related to selling Common Good assets and splitting up the farm. Those who did not object felt that proceeding with the relinquishment, including transfer of the cottage and field to the existing tenant, was the best of the options available and would enable the lifelong tenant to retire on the farm.

The Selkirk Common Good fund sub-committee met to consider the feedback received, as well as review the pro’s and con’s of each option for the future of the farm. The committee decided to proceed with the relinquishment including the transfer of the cottages and field to the current tenant.

While the concerns around splitting off part of the Common Good were understood and the committee were also reluctant to proceed with disposing of assets, doing so is the best outcome financially for the Common Good fund. This will enable a higher rental income to be generated from the farm putting Selkirk Common Good fund in a better position to support grants for local groups, as well as continuing to maintain other assets.

We asked

For feedback on the proposed actions in the Scottish Borders Council, and NHS Borders British Sign Language (BSL) Plan.

The local BSL plan contribute to the National BSL Plan  which aims to make Scotland the best place in the world for (British Sign Language) BSL users to live, learn, work and visit.

You said

The actions proposed by Scottish Borders Council and NHS Borders, were right for the Scottish Borders.

We did

Used the feedback to finalise the Scottish Borders Council & NHS Borders local BSL Plans.

Residents/ Businesses on the 2023 route on impact of the Event and views on the overall impact on the Region.

597 responses. Overall Impact = Positive was 78%

Event Organisers decision not to hold event in 2024. Support 2025 closed road Tour O The Borders to take place.

We invited your comments on a draft Newstead Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan

A summary of the consultation responses is available in Appendix B of the Committee Report for Planning & Building Standards Committee (8th January 2024): https://scottishborders.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s79896/Item%20No.%2006%20b%20-%20Newstead%20CAAMP%20Adoption%20-%20Appendix%20B%20Consultation%20Response.pdf

Your comments have informed changes to the Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (CAA&MP).

The revised CAA&MP was adopted by Planning & Building Standards Committee on 8^th January 2024. The revised CAA&MP is available on the Council’s website: https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/directory_record/26006/newstead

The changes made in response to the consultation are set out in the Committee Report and Appendix B and C (Item 6): https://scottishborders.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=136&MId=6958&Ver=4

What are your priorities for the new Scottish Borders Community Plan?

Consultation results

We are finalisng the new Community Plan which will be published here shortly.

We asked you which improvements you would most like to see at the Woodstock Avenue playpark in Langlee, Galashiels.  We provided a list of 13 items commonly found in play parks and asked you to prioritise your top ten. There was also an opportunity to add additional comments or suggestions so you could tell us about anything else you felt was needed in the play park. 

108 people responded to our survey, with an additional 30 paper responses from young people from community groups in the local area. 

The top three most popular items were: 

• Swings (flat seat and cradle seat) 
• Basket swing
• Slides

66.67% of respondents said that the play park should cater for 3 - 10 year olds, with 47.22% of respondents saying that the park should cater for 10+ year olds.  

There were 50 additional comments, mostly highlighting: 

• Seating
• The need for CCTV to capture vandalism and dog fouling

We opened the upgraded Woodstuck Avenue Play Park in July 2024, incorporating the equipment that was prioritised by you! As well as your top three items (triple-bay swings, basket swing, and slides), we also installed the following equipment:

• a multi-play unit
• a see-saw
• sensory panels
• a spinner bowl
• a carousel with bars
• a train/carriage for toddlers
• a mini twister
• a large wooden agility trail
• a track ride tower

We are pleased to inform you that the installation of seating, a bin and signage discouraging dog fouling has been completed.

If you have any queries, please contact our Communities and Partnerships team at communityengagement@scotborders.gov.uk, and we will be happy to answer.

We appreciate the valuable feedback regarding the installation of CCTV in the play park. While we understand your concerns about vandalism and dog fouling in the park, the installation of CCTV is not feasible at this time due to various constraints, including budget and privacy considerations.  

We take a strong stance against vandalism and dog fouling. If you witness any acts of vandalism on SBC property, please report it to us via our website: Graffiti and vandalism | Scottish Borders Council.

To report dog fouling, please visit our website for more information: Dog fouling | Responsible dog ownership | Scottish Borders Council 

Thank you for your continued support in making our play parks safe and enjoyable for everyone.

West Linton Village Centre Trust have applied, through Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, for a ten year lease of the Village Centre.

We asked what you thought of their proposal.

Nine people responded to us either using the online consultation form or by email.

A copy of the comments received is available on the SBC website.

West Linton Village Centre - public consultation comments

Your comments will be considered by the Asset Transfer Officer Group when deciding whether to agree or decline the request. The deadline for making this decision is 21 March 2023.

We asked for your comments on what we might be missing from the Council's Common Good register.

You gave us some useful information about the history of some of our local land and collections, some of which had not been considered by the Council before.

We took your comments and investigated those areas of land and pieces of art or collections to ascertain whether they should properly be categorised as Common Good. We then discussed those findings with each Common Good Fund Sub-Committee and prepared final registers for each town. Following Council approval, these registers will be published on the Council’s website where they can be viewed.

People living in the Berwickshire area to join a community led panel to undertake assessments on applications to SBC's Berwickshire Community Fund and make recommedations to Berwickshire Area Partnership for approval.

Interest was shown in the opportunity

Six people were appointed to the Panel. Berwickshire Area Partnership will be updated at the meeting at 6:30pm on 1 July 2021. This is a public meeting and will be held online.

We asked for your views on introducing a range of temporary measures across Peebles as part of a trial to promote more active travel, including walking and cycling, in the area.

This included introducing temporary advisory cycle lanes across certain areas of Peebles, installing a puffin crossing at Eastgate and altering the existing taxi ranks within the town centre.

602 people responded to our survey

• 261 (43%) would welcome a six-month trial of advisory cycle lanes on Kingsmeadows Road
• 307 (51%) would not welcome a six-month trial of advisory cycle lanes on Kingsmeadows Road
• 253 (42%) would welcome a six-month trial of advisory cycle lanes on Innerleithen Road
• 324 (54%) would not welcome a six-month trial of advisory cycle lanes on Innerleithen Road
• 191 (32%) would welcome a six-month trial of advisory cycle lanes on High Street and East Gate 
• 388 (64%) would not welcome a six-month trial of advisory cycle lanes on High Street and East Gate

• 307 (51%) think installing a puffin crossing over the A72 at the Eastgate is a good idea
• 223 (37%) think installing a puffin crossing over the A72 at the Eastgate is a bad idea

• 391 (65%) think removing the taxi ranks from The Park and The County and extending the one outside Trespass is a good idea
• 103 (17%) think removing the taxi ranks from The Park and The County and extending the one outside Trespass is a bad idea

• 156 (26%) said the installation of cycle lanes and puffin crossing change would change how they walk or cycle in Peebles
• 327 (54%) said the installation of cycle lanes and puffin crossing change would make no difference to their travel choices

After carefully considering the data, a 12 month trial of cycle lanes will take place starting from summer 2021, to fully determine demand for more active travel spaces in Peebles which have the potential to make the town a more walking and cycling friendly area.

After taking into consideration public responses to the survey, which indicated that there was clearly no demand for cycle lanes at Peebles Eastgate and High Street, these areas will not form part of the trial.

As part of the wider trial, taxi ranks outside The Park Hotel and The Crown will be removed and the existing rank at the Eastgate Theatre will be extended.

We asked for your views on the ongoing trial of a temporary reduced speed limit of 40mph for vehicles on the backroads between Peebles and Peel.

We wanted to know if the reduced speed limit helped encourage more walking and cycling on these backroads and if there was support for a more permanent change to the speed limit.

442 people responded to our survey

The survey showed that:

• 146 people (33%) were less likely to walk or cycle since the introduction of the trial 40mph on these roads
• 114 people (26%) were more likely to walk or cycle since the introduction of the trial 40mph on these roads
• 173 people (39%) would like to see the 40mph signs removed and the road revert back to national speed limit between Peebles and Innerleithen
• 231 (52%) would not like to see the 40mph signs removed and the road revert back to national speed limit between Peebles and Innerleithen
• 215 (49%) would like the lowered 40mph speed limit removed between Innerleithen and Walkerburn
• 199 (45%) would not like the lowered 40mph speed limit removed between Innerleithen and Walkerburn
• 232 (52%) would like the lowered 40mph speed limit removed between Walkerburn and Peel
• 187 (42%) would not like the lowered 40mph speed limit removed between Walkerburn and Peel

After carefully considering the data, which indicated that motorists would be in favour of a specific section of the road reverting back to 60mph, the stretch of road between Walkerburn (east) and the Craigmyle turn off will return to the national speed limit.

All other sections of the road will remain at 40mph and the trial will continue.

During 2020 we began consulting on the introduction of Alcohol Byelaws in the Borders through a paper, online and face to face consultation.

Many of you responded to us through the online and paper forms but we were unable to speak to you on a face to face basis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This consultation has been paused and will be re-opened when it is safe to hold public meetings.

Thank you to everyone that has made comments. These will be kept and collated with all other feedback once the consultation has been completed. 

What time would best suit you for the Eilson Area Partnership meeting on 27 February to take place?

16 people responded - thank you.

The time that suits most people is tea and coffee from 5:30pm with the meeting starting at 6pm at Earlston Primary School.

Further information is available here on the Council's website.

We asked for your views on the Localities Bid Fund 2 grant process.

You resonded to our evaluation survey which ran from 27 November 2019 to the 12 January 2020.

We have analysed what you told us and presented the results to Councillors on 27 August 2020. Both reports are available below:

Review of Localities Bid Fund, Community Fund and Participatory Budgeting

Localities Bid Fund Round Two - Project Evaluation

We asked you for your views about the Area Partnerships following 18 months of operation. As part of this work we also wanted to know what you think about the new Community Fund.

You responded to our online survey and attended focus group across the Borders. You told us how you feel about the Area Partnerships and the Community Fund.

The Scottish Community Development Centre's report was presented to Councillors at the meeting of Scottish Borders Council on 25 June 2020 and discussed further on 27 August 2020. 

A Review of Local Area Partnerships and the Community Fund in the Scottish Borders

It was decided:

• to request that each Area Partnership establish, at its next meeting, a mechanism to review the findings of the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) Report on the Community Fund and make recommendations for further public consultation within each locality;
• to continue to ring fence grants made to Community Councils, Village Halls and Festival Grants within the Community Fund for 2020/21, with payments for Festival Grants only made to cover actual expenditure on public liability and insurance expenditure;
• to make the changes to the Community Fund highlighted in Section 6 of the report (below), and detailed in Appendix 3 (below) as amended above to remove reference to not being a like for like replacement for Council services which had been withdrawn due to efficiencies or Best Value concerns,to come into effect on 1 September 2020, with a review after one year of operation.

Review of Locality Bid Fund, Communuity Fund and Participatory Budgeting

Appendix 3: Community Fund 2020/2021

Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 the local authority is required to consult with the local community when it is planning to dispose of common good property. The proposed sale of common good land at South Common Farm, Selkirk is to accommodate a new Clear Water Tank. We asked you for your comments on this disposal.

I would like to understand how the sale of this land is in the interest of the people of Selkirk. What benefits are to be gained by the sale? Rather than a sale is a long-term rental possible, thereby giving a steady income to the community each year?

The sale of land will allow the stability of drinking water supplies within the Selkirk Catchment. Whilst a lease was considered by all parties over the expected life of the Water Tank (approx. 100 years) the preferred option was a sale as this allows Selkirk Common Good to realise a capital sum now.  Receiving a capital sum provides flexibility for Selkirk Common Good to look at different options for the sum received. One option could be to invest the capital sum and receive income over the long term which could be equivalent to a rental income. By disposing of the asset, it is possible to include terms which provide the option for the land to be purchased back from the purchaser at the end of its life.