Councillor sees red over green list
Cll. Kenneth Gunn looks over Selkirk Hill.
IT may have moorland, ponds, trees and meadows, as well as being home to a myriad of birds and other wildlife, but that has not prevented Selkirk Hill from being left off a list of key local green spaces by planners.
At last week’s meeting of the full Scottish Borders Council, Councillor Kenneth Gunn (Selkirkshire SNP) flagged up the omission of Selkirk Hill from the list, which is included in the main issues report – the first stage in the review of the recently-adopted Local Plan – and which is going out to public consultation.
“Why has Selkirk Hill not been included?,” asked Mr Gunn at the meeting. “The green spaces included seem to be all rugby and football fields and only two very small green spaces in the centre of the town have been highlighted.”
The main green spaces in the royal burgh which have been considered noteworthy so far are the three sports fields at Philiphaugh, the high school playing fields, and the Pringle and Victoria Parks, along with other smaller pockets of land.
Mr Gunn says he has no problem with any of these locations being on the list.
“The green spaces in Selkirk that have been included are all playing fields like those at the high school, and the Pringle and Victoria parks. But these are all in the town and all mainly playing fields, and while I don’t object to these being included one little bit, I was concerned that Selkirk Hill had been left out,” he told The Wee Paper this week.
“The golf course is on part of it, but Selkirk Hill is common good land. It is Selkirk’s common, where people can walk their dogs, go for picnics and so on, and I was concerned it had been missed out.
“I know Brian Frater [SBC head of planning] has acknowledged that this is a draft document and things can still be included in later editions.
“But it is the fact that Selkirk Hill was omitted in the first place which I found a bit worrying.”
The residents of the royal burgh have long enjoyed the pleasures of visiting Selkirk Hill, which was once part of the ancient Ettrick Forest. In the early 12th century, King David I granted land in the area to monks from Tiron in Normandy to build an abbey, probably close to the vicinity of Lindean Church.
The grant of land to the town was reaffirmed in 1535 to recognise the heroism of the Souters who fought and died at the battle of Flodden in 1513.
Covering 140 acres, Selkirk Hill is now managed by a group of local people and councillors on behalf of the community. Work is continually carried out to enhance the area as a home for a wide variety of flora and fauna and to maintain paths in good condition.
In the summer months, plants such as the common spotted orchid, mountain pansy, heath bedstraw and harebell can be found flowering in its meadows, while many different bird species can also be seen.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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