And they have also been advised to jump into bed with the Great Tapestry of Scotland project.

Over the past few years textiles designer Hamish Carruthers MBE and his colleagues, Dr Alisadire Lockhart and James Sugden OBE, have been gathering support and pledges for a Scottish Centre of Textiles.

The aim was to preserve the heritage of the Scottish textiles industry and also provide a platform for skills and innovation.

Scottish Enterprise, Heriot-watt University, Borders College, Scottish Borders Council the National Museum of Scotland and the Scottish Borders Manufacturers Corporation were amongst the many agencies and organisations who supported the plans.

Many mill owners and designers had also offered to donate machinery, archives and collections to the centre.

Even the Duke of Buccleuch had offered to loan his vast collection of historic dresses.

The upper floor of the Ettrick Riverside former mill building in Selkirk was identified as the ideal location with initial plans drawn up for a gallery, cafe and shop as well as museum.

Outlying buildings at Ettrick Riverside were also considered for other parts of the centre with Tesco agreeing to donate the stone frontage from the former Textiles College in Galashiels, which is currently stored at a depot in Livingston.

Earlier this year money was secured from Scottish Enterprise to pay for a feasibility study ahead of any major funding bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

But the findings from consultants Jura, which arrived a fortnight ago, have thrown a spanner in the works.

Dr Lockhart said: “The feasibility study does not recommend Selkirk as the location for the Scottish Centre of Textiles as, in Jura’s opinion, it would only attract some 8,000 to 12,000 visitors per annum.

“They say that only 1.5 million cars pass through Selkirk each year whereas over 4.5 million cars pass through Galashiels.

“The visitor prediction rendered the Scottish Centre of Textiles financially inviable as an independent entity and identified the need for another complimentary activity to be associated with it.” It has been suggested to the directors that a collaboration with the Great Tapestry of Scotland - which is currently planned for Tweedbank - would be a better option.

A report on the location of the tapestry will be presented to members of Scottish Borders Council later this year.

But the Tweedbank plans have sparked anger and uncertainty with community leaders in Galashiels, Hawick and Selkirk all wanting the visitor attraction.

Dr Lockhart added: “Given the uncertainty about the possibility of some form of collaboration between the Scottish Centre of Textiles and the Great Tapestry of Scotland projects for financial security, we, as is prudent, looked at other locations in the Borders where there might be sufficient footfall for us to attract sufficient visitors annually to be financially independent.” Local MP Michael Moore and Lord Purvis of Tweed, who are both strong supporters of the textiles centre, will chair a meeting early in the new year of all interested parties to take forward the plans.

Selkirkshire councillor Michelle Ballantyne hopes that Selkirk can will be considered. She said: “If we accept Jura’s findings as a reality we would never get anything for Selkirk.

“For me this just doesn’t add up.” Graham Easton, chair of Selkirk Community Council, added: “It is disturbing that Jura don’t think we are big enough for the centre.”