A JEDBURGH hotelier has warned that the café and restaurant provision planned at a major new whisky distillery could hit other local food and tourism businesses.

Dr Julie Wallace, who owns the Glenbank House and Royal hotels with her husband Alexander, has taken issue with the planning application from Mossburn Distillers to develop the £40m facility around the site of the former Jedforest Hotel at Camptown – three miles south of Jedburgh on the A68.

That bid for detailed consent will be considered by Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee on Monday.

And councillors are being urged by local planning officer Euan Calvert to approve the application in principle subject to a raft of conditions to address concerns over the environmental and ecological impact.

His report to councillors reveals that the company, owned by Dutch drinks firm Marussia Beverages BV, wants to phase the venture – expected to create over 40 jobs – over the next five years The first phase – between 2017 and 2018 – will see the creation of a small still house/distillery on land to the east of the former hotel “to focus on small production and educating visitors in the craft of making spirit” with guided tours provided. There will also be a 36-cover café and a range of new office buildings.

The second phase – between 2019 and 2021 – will focus on land to the north of the site and the construction of the main Mossburn Distillery, capable of producing 25million litres of spirit a year and featuring four distinctive copper distillation vessels as well as 21 fermentation tanks.

The manufacturing function in this building – 138 metres long and 12.5 metres high – will be combined with a “visitor experience” with a 260-cover ground floor café, restaurant and entertainment area.

In a submission to planners, Dr Wallace claims this is “overprovision”.

“While welcoming the investment in creating a local business and tourist attraction, we would like to express concern over the level of café/restaurant provision…and the detrimental impact this may have on food providers and other small businesses within Jedburgh which is currently a popular stopping off point for travellers,” she states.

“While providing a local attraction, distilleries have the opportunity to benefit from a global market for whisky and gin.

“In contrast, the existing food related businesses in Jedburgh can only operate locally and are highly dependent on the summer tourist trade to support their sustainability.

“People stopping in Jedburgh for something to eat also tend to explore the local shops, resulting in a shared benefit across a number of local businesses.

“To provide some eating facilities in support of visitor centre activities at the distilleries would seem reasonable. However, we are concerned the excessive facilities planned would compete directly with the existing and developing food related businesses in and around Jedburgh rather than working synergistically with them.”