Starbucks seeks to overturn café rejection

The company already has a café in Galashiels and wants to open one in Kelso

Coffee giant Starbucks hopes to overturn a council's refusal of proposals to open a second café in the Borders.

It already has an outlet in Galashiels and wanted to develop a derelict site on Station Road in Kelso.

However, Scottish Borders Council's planning department refused the proposal amid concerns it would harm the "vitality and viability" of the town centre.

The company has appealed against that decision and it will be discussed by SBC's local review body on 15 September.

The proposals have divided opinion in the Borders town which already has a large number of independent coffee shops.

However, an appeal statement from the firm argued that it would "serve a different function" to other businesses and would not have a "direct, significant or adverse impact on other equivalent facilities".

The company said that it would need up to 30 staff for the £1.5m development.

As well as concerns over the impact on the town centre, planning officials also described the development as "an incongruous addition to the residential streetscape".

The local review body will now be asked to decide whether or not to overturn the council's original decision and let the development proceed.