Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre moves closer

The plans would see two buildings linked to create the new visitor centre

Plans to demolish a shop to make way for a permanent home for the Great Tapestry of Scotland have been approved.

The replacement of the former Poundstretcher store in Galashiels is one part of the £6.7m project.

A separate application for internal and external alterations to the nearby old Post Office has also been approved.

The scheme would see the two buildings linked with a completion target for the project in early 2020.

The green light has been given to demolish the old Poundstretcher store

It has been estimated the centre would create 16 jobs and attract more than 50,000 extra visitors a year.

Scottish Borders Council has described it as "one of the most significant town centre economic development projects" of recent years.

The Great Tapestry of Scotland is made up of 160 hand stitched panels, depicting aspects of the history of Scotland from 8,500 BC.

The brainchild of writer Alexander McCall Smith, it was completed in 2013 by more than 1,000 volunteers, with each panel taking about 500 hours to sew.