TRUSTEES of an historic estate near Selkirk have hit out after their bid for cash was turned down by local councillors.

The Haining Charitable Trust applied for £4,000 towards funding an extensive Landscape Plan for the grounds they inherited back in 2009.

Substantial progress has already been made since the historic mansion and estate were bequeathed to the people of Selkirkshire by former owner Andrew Nimmo Smith. And this latest move was to develop a plan for further work involving excavations of Peel Hill, the site of the long lost Selkirk Castle, siting sculptures around the picturesque estate and further biodiversity projects.

The Trust had already secured part-funding for the £12,000 Lanscape Plan from Historic Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

But the final £4,000 piece of the jigsaw was pushed off the table by the members of Selkirk Common Good Fund.

Alisdaire Lockhart from the Haining Charitable Trust said: “Ever since I have lived here getting money out of the Selkirk Common Good is like getting blood out of a stone.

“We wanted the £4,000 to help unlock a further £16,000 of funding. The Trustees will ask for this decision to be reconsidered.” Selkirk Common Good Fund committee is made up of the town’s three councillors - Gordon Edgar, Vicky Davidson and Michelle Ballantyne - as well as community councillor Tommy Combe.

Mr Combe said: “The Common Good isn’t just a mechanism for giving out money.

“There is also a large estate of buildings and land to look after.” The A-listed Haining House dates back to the 1790s with the estate and previous mansions going back much further.

Over the past four years work has been carried out on the house and grounds as well as the conversion of the former stables into workshops.

And this latest development was seen as vital in its attempt to become financially self-reliant.

But one of the main stumbling blocks in the Common Good bid was the amount of cash the Haining Trust has squirrelled away in its accounts.

Councillor Michelle Ballantyne defended the decision to refuse the application. She said: “We have to be consistent with our decisions - it is our duty to the people of Selkirk.” Fellow councillor Vicky Davidson agreed that a meeting should take place between the two groups. She added: “It wouldn’t be a bad idea to meet with applicants who have been turned down and discuss their application.”