SCOTTISH Borders Council’s watchdog scrutiny committee will decide later this month if the “financing arrangements” of the £5.2m Galashiels Transport Interchange should be reviewed.

The council has already pumped £3.4m into the project – repayable at around £200,000 a year for 30 years - with the balance coming from Euro funding.

The local authority also staffs the building – across the road from the new rail terminal – which operates 21 hours a day, seven days a week.

But concerns over its viability have been fuelled by the admission that, despite opening on August 6, there have been no takers for its extensive first and second floor commercial/office accommodation, totalling over 5,500 sq. ft and known collectively as Waverley Chambers.

There are currently no tenants, aside from First Bus who have operated from the building since it opened,” said a council spokesperson.

“However, there has been a lot of interest in the rooms available for rent within the building with one potential client in advanced discussions about taking two rooms.

“If that goes ahead, there will be six units available for tenants, alongside a room which is currently being marketed as a conference centre.

“There have also been 12 conferences/meetings in the interchange since it opened with another 12 booked.

“Around half of these have been booked by organisations or individuals from outwith the Borders.”

Prior to the opening of the interchange and having considered several reports on its operational viability, it is understood the council set a subsidised departure charge of £1.75 per bus journey.

At last week’s full council meeting, Councillor Gavin Logan (Con, Tweeddale East), chairman of the scrutiny committee, tabled a question for SBC leader David Parker asking if this charge had been set before or after a deal had been agreed with First Bus over the former Stirling Street bus station.

This was a reference to protracted negotiations between the company and the council which was seeking to use a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) to acquire and demolish the old building and redevelop the site as an attractive town centre gateway for rail and bus visitors.

However, with Councillor Parker absent from early part of the meeting, Mr Logan said he would resubmit the question next month.

And Mr Logan confirmed that the scrutiny committee would decide at its meeting next Thursday if all the financing arrangements for the interchange should be reviewed.

The council spokesperson told the Border Telegraph: “Financial monitoring of the interchange is at an early stage and is being reviewed on a monthly basis.”

Meanwhile, the interchange – described as “the town’s new bus station and business hub” - has been shortlisted in two categories in the UK Builder and Engineer Awards 2015.

Galashiels Transport Interchange (TI) opened a month before the start of the Borders Railway, and has provided an eye-catching entry point for visitors and Borderers preparing to board the train.

It also forms the town’s new bus station and business hub, and aims to direct footfall into the centre of Galashiels.

Other facilities include a café, seating, tourist information, bus and train real-time information and a railway ticket machine. It also has showers, changing facilities and bike lockers to promote cycling and walking. In addition, the TI’s toilets are the first in the Borders to be acknowledged by Changing Places, which campaigns for fully accessible facilities for people with profound disabilities who cannot use standard disabled toilets.

Galashiels Transport Interchange - part funded by the European Regional Development Fund - was delivered by our development partner Hub South East Scotland and Morrison Construction.

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