A TENDERING process for the construction of a giant waste transfer station at Easter Langlee has been cancelled by Scottish Borders Council.

Bids had been sought for the construction of the facility next to the regional landfill dump which is due to be decommissioned over the next year. The estimated value of the contract was £4.8m.

But a “contract non-award notice” was published this week on the Public Contracts Scotland website this week, casting doubt on the future of a project which was refused planning consent by the council’s own planning committee on April 24.

That quasi-judicial body voted 5-2 to reject the plans, determining that the C77 road linking the site to Galashiels could not cope with the projected 88 HGV movements a day which they facility would generate.

A council spokesperson told us yesterday: “Following the planning committee’s decision to refuse an application for a WTS at Easter Langlee, the council has taken the decision to cancel the tender process for the project.

“This is a procedural matter while the council considers all its options.”

The spokesperson confirmed that, six weeks on from the planning rebuff, the council had yet to decide if it will lodge an appeal against its own committee’s decision.

Asked why the procurement process had been launched before planning consent for the project had been obtained, the spokesperson stated: “The procurement process is run in two stages. Stage one is the shortlisting of competent contractors…it is only when this shortlist has been compiled are these contractors invited to tender and this is called stage two.

“The procurement process did not commence beyond stage one.”