Historic Borders house restoration bid unveiled

Previous plans to turn Gattonside House into flats fell through

A fresh bid to save and restore a historic Borders house on the banks of the River Tweed has been unveiled.

Developer Fortis Homes recently acquired Gattonside House, near Melrose, and said it was looking to "sensitively restore" the property alongside delivering new-build homes in the grounds.

Previous proposals to turn the 19th Century property into flats, following its closure as a care facility, fell through and the house has since fallen into disrepair.

Doug Innes, a director of Fortis Homes, said they hoped to do something "really positive" with the site.

He said the property had suffered a lot of "dilapidation and deterioration" in the time it had been empty.

The proposals would see the main building brought back into use while new housing would be built on the surrounding land.

"For us the core of what we are looking to do is something which is viable and which allows us to save Gattonside House, which is something the community can also be proud of," said Mr Innes.

"We are looking for the first consultation to be towards the end of November, possibly into the start of December.

"And then the second consultation should be early in the new year."