CONTROVERSIAL plans for two family homes near the entrance to a Borders village are poised for approval despite some locals fearing they could prove a blot on their landscape.

Despite a number of objections an application to Scottish Borders Council for two detached properties on land west and north of Smailholm Village Hall is being recommended for approval when members of the local authority’s Planning and Building Standards Committee meet on Monday (October 3).

There were ten objections to the application submitted by Lord Haddington’s Testamentary Trust on the grounds that the height and bulk of the proposals were “overly prominent” and that the modern design of the proposed homes was out of character with the historic village.

One objector says the bid was “not in keeping or in harmony with the conservation village” and would “dilute the entrance to a fine Borders village”, while another opponent observed: “The design no more respects the Smailholm conservation area than a Disneyland fairy castle evidences respect to the rich tradition of Central European fortification.”

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The application also raised the hackles of Floors, Makerstoun, Nenthorn and Smailholm Community Council with a spokesperson saying it did “not meet the standards of the conservation village” while calling for the development to be single storey, adding: “Other sites in Smailholm are more suited to development than this one.”

But in a report to the committee, Ian Aikman, the council’s chief planning and housing officer, recommends approval of the proposal, saying: “The proposed residential development would not conflict with the established land use of the area and would not detract from the character or amenity of the surrounding area. The proposed houses can be accommodated on the site without resulting in over-development or town and village cramming and the design of the houses is considered appropriate for this location.”

A design statement from Galashiels-based architects Aitken Turnbull says the proposal was a bid for the “formation of additional housing in the countryside that seeks to complement the area by providing a modern design solution that fully respects the visual setting of the Conservation Area".