THERE could soon be a new ‘gateway’ building at the entrance to Selkirk if plans to demolish a vacant car showroom are given the green light.

Booming Selkirk-based Oregon Timber Frame Engineering, which facilitates the supply of timber kits for the housing industry, wants to flatten the currently vacant Suzuki car showroom on the corner of the A7/B7014 at Dunsdale Haugh and construct in its place a new bespoke office headquarters

As a result of an expansion of production facilities relocation of the current offices is now needed to free up space for production lines.

It is anticipated that the new offices will act as a ‘gateway’ building into the town.

A pre-application Environmental Impact Assessment Screening Opinion was submitted to Scottish Borders Council’s planning department.

A submission with the application, from Edinburgh-based Ramand Environmental, said: “The new building is to provide a welcoming environment in order to encourage colleagues back to the workplace in a form of a facility that can be enjoyed internally and externally.

“The  building needs to accommodate approximately 70 people within its open plan office spaces alongside the provision of new meeting rooms, kitchen/dining and welfare facilities.

“Externally, the building is proposed to be clad in metallic steel composite panels at first and second floors with a brick ground floor serving as a solid base.

“The new building will align with the existing factory building line to the south, creating continuity and a cohesive boundary.

“The site is located within an existing industrial and employment zone on the edge of Selkirk with direct access to the strategic road network, the A7.

“The new office will provide an improved employment space for 42 existing staff, with capacity to accommodate an additional 25 staff.”

There were 23 jobs lost back in January 2020 when the Dunsdale Haugh Suzuki garage and showroom, trading as the Leven Car Company, went into administration.