THE owners of a Selkirk hotel will be served with a legal notice to repair a controversial crumbling wall.

A stand-off between Scottish Borders Council and the owners of the Glen Hotel has dragged on for over four years.

And the deteriorating condition of the wall on Yarrow Terrace led to a one-way system being introduced in March, 2013.

Roads engineers at the local authority were due to table their plans for a permanent one-way system around the Buccleuch Road and Mill Street area last October. But strong local opposition and escalating costs, now estimated to be more than £220,000, have led for renewed calls to ditch the traffic plans and fix the wall.

Selkirk Community Council chairman Graham Easton said: “We need to finalise this - everyone has had enough, can’t we just sort this out once and for all.” Residents around the controversial one-way system as well as householders in streets such as Forest Road, affected by recently-created rat runs, are demanding an urgent conclusion.

Community Council secretary Alistair Pattullo added: “There must be a way to move this forward.

“We’ve been getting the same answers from Scottish Borders Council for over a year.” Selkirkshire councillor Vicky Davidson told Monday’s meeting that she will hold talks with Scottish Borders Council leader, David Parker, this week ahead of legal action being taken against the hotel owners.

She said: “We are as frustrated as anyone.

“I am meeting with David Parker and I hope we can speed up the process but it does take time.

“A legal notice is to be served on the owners of the Glen.

“The wall is clearly deteriorating and if it is not fixed the stonework will fall onto the road.” The estimated costs of repairing the wall have varied from around £20,000 to over £100,000.

Fellow SBC member Michelle Ballantyne also believes the legal route is the only way to go. She said: “The argument has always been about ownership.

“The only way this can progress is by serving notice on the hotel owners.” Legal representatives of the Glen’s owner, Steve Howland, maintain that the hotel is not responsible for the roadside wall.

The Border Telegraph was unable to obtain any time frame from Scottish Borders Council’s legal team over the notice being served as we went to press.