Following the controversial decision by Scottish Borders Council not to issue a closed-road licence for 2015, the rally will take place on the forest tracks of Kielder.

The special stage rally will be held on Sunday, May 31, although a final route has yet to be confirmed.

This year’s event will revert to the format first run in 1970 when the organisers used private Forestry Commission roads.

And all of the crews will be based in Kelso from where they will drive over the border to contest the event.

Clerk of the course Colin Smith said: “We wanted to maintain the continuity of an annual motor sports event in the Borders and following Borders Council’s decision to withdraw permission for a closed road event, this was our only option.

“The Forestry Commission have been very helpful and we are looking at a route with around 45 miles of forest road tests.” The announcement by the Jim Clark organisers comes just a few days after a group set up by the Scottish Government delivered its final recommendations on the safety of future rallying events.

The review group, which included representatives from the world of motor sport as well as police and the Health and Safety Executive, was set up following the deaths of three spectators at the Jim Clark Rally last May, and another accident at the Highland Snowman Rally in 2013 in which one spectator died and a child was injured.

Robert Reid, a former World Rally Champion is a group member and Sir Jackie Stewart is an advisor to the group.

Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn, announced the recommendations to Parliament last Tuesday.

He said: “There will always be an element of risk connected to motor sport, but Scotland must take the lead in ensuring that we live up to our history of world class input to the sport and have the best spectator safety controls in place.

“I believe that the Review Group has brought us a package of measures that will bring about a considerable improvement in spectator safety.

“I look forward to working with the governing body of the sport, the Motor Sports Association to make these recommendations a reality.” Amongst the key recommendations are tighter controls over volunteer marshals, including a mandatory marshal licensing scheme, more input from Police Scotland, more ground rules for spectators, marshals and competitors on assisting cars back onto roads, and stricter control over marshall numbers.

The three spectators who were killed during last year’s Jim Clark Rally - Iain Provan, 64, and Elizabeth Allan, 63, both of Barrhead, and John Leonard Stern, 71, of Bearsden - all had media accreditation for the event. And improving safety for the press is amongst the recommendations which were published last week.

Meanwhile, plans are well under way for the 2016 Jim Clark Rally.

Clerk of the course for the two day closed road event, Russel Blood, told the Border Telegraph: “Over the past few months the team had been continuing with preparations for a two day closed road rally event this year, but that is not going to happen so we will now concentrate our efforts on the 2016 event.

“Current plans are that this will comprise a two-day Jim Clark Rally over the Friday and Saturday, followed by the one-day Jim Clark Reivers Rally.” The new plans have already received the backing of many of the UK’s top rally championships.

Jim Clark chairman Dan Wright added: “It’s not only the competitors, clubs, championships and rally fans who are offering encouragement but local businesses and local people have rallied round to support the continuation of this major sporting event.

“We have also received tremendous support from both Mr John Lamont MSP and Michael Moore MP.

“Having such support allows us to plan ahead with growing confidence.”