PLANS have been revealed for a huge new 117-home housing estate in the Borders.

Edinburgh-based Whiteburn Projects has submitted a planning application to Scottish Borders Council for the development of the homes on a site in a countryside setting at Allanbank in Lauder.

The unoccupied land is located adjacent to the B6362 Stow Road, close to the Allanbank Gardens housing estate.

It is proposed that a new access road would be provided on Stow Road to serve the new development.

Of the properties, 28 (25 per cent) would be affordable, in accordance with the council’s housing plan.

A report submitted with the application said: “The site is located in a sustainable location. It is within distance of bus stops which provide regular services to Edinburgh, St Boswells and Jedburgh.

“Occupants of the new dwellings on the site would be within walking distance of Lauder High Street and other amenities available within the town, such as the health centre, Diamond Jubilee Park and Lauder Primary School.”

The plan is for the development of one, two, three and four-bedroom homes to “meet local demand and alleviate the shortfall in the supply of housing land in the Borders”.

The report added: “The site is a natural extension of Lauder, it is considered to be well related to Lauder and presents a suitable and viable opportunity for delivering a sustainable development.

“The aim is to create an environment of high-quality diverse housing that people want and where they can afford to live and to connect, strengthen and improve community bonds to encourage residents to live and work locally reducing the need for motorised travel.

“The proposed scheme consists of 89 private homes and 28 affordable homes. The proposal considers the countryside setting as an important factor in the creation of a well balanced and coherent welcoming scheme.

“Whiteburn have experience of the area with their successful development at Caerlee Mill in Innerleithen. The same design ethos of place making has been applied to this development.”

The development would include 47 four-bedroom homes and 36 three-bedroom homes.