A BID for a fast food outlet at a picturesque Borders fishing village famed as a top movie location is off the menu amid concerns it would lower the tone of the area.

Scottish Borders Council received a planning bid for a burger stand and gift shop on the harbour at St Abbs in June of last year.

The application required the demolition of a dilapidated fisherman’s storage hut and its replacement with a wooden retail unit.

The application was opposed by Berwickshire Civic Society amid concerns over the negative impact it could have on the Conservation Area – with the harbour a favourite location for visiting film crews and photographers.

Among the blockbuster films to be shot on location at St Abbs was 2019’s Avengers; Endgame and pop superstar Harry Styles also filmed the video for his hit single Adore You at the location.

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One objector wrote: “St Abbs is a picturesque and working harbour. Such a proposed development will change the nature of the location, turning it into more of a commercial entity.”

Concerns were also raised that the sale of goods at the proposed venue could impact on the viability of the nearby St Abbs Lifeboat Charity Shop.

Another objector added: “Any fast food-type retail would degrade the character and charm of the location”.

The applicant, Sandra Ross, had argued that St Abbs was visited by people from across the world, particularly students, who were asking for a “reasonably priced snack” as an alternative to lobsters.

She added: “They are down to St Abbs for maybe for a ‘Ribride’ experience or a boat trip to see the dolphins, and other mammals that we get these days, or maybe divers, walkers, and others that cannot get served at the only other place to eat at the harbour, Ebbcarrs Cafe, as she’s quite often got a queue to be served.”

A formal withdrawal of the application has now been submitted to Scottish Borders Council’s planning department.