Sports pitches in Duns

I am firmly in support of the proposal to amend the local plan to allow for the exchange of the existing sports provision at Todlaw in Duns in return for the facilities at the Berwickshire High School.
Whilst Todlaw has been a useful site for training purposes there it is less suitable for meeting the sporting needs of the Duns area than the provision currently available at the BHS site because:
• The site has none of the basic amenities expected of a sports area (changing rooms, etc)
• There is no vehicular access (which is a particular worry for people involved in contact sports) nor parking
• The grounds are not of a standard for competitive match use
• There would be a need to make major capital outlays to bring the grounds and drainage up to specification
• It stands cheek by jowl with a residential area which already causes concern for local residents and any development will only exacerbate this.
By way of contrast, the Berwickshire High School site:
• Already has established usage for a wide range of sporting activities
• Requires no major capital outlays to provide high quality competitive pitches
• Is amply served with parking and vehicular access
• Offers synergies for the multiple sporting activities available on the site (swimming, squash, badminton, rugby and football) which will enable people to reduce costs, share resources and enhance the service to the wider public
• Provides sufficient space for future growth and creation of new shared facilities
In addition, such a development will benefit plans to relocate the primary by guaranteeing that adequate sporting fields are available for the children’s use. Furthermore, combined with the provision also available across the road at the new Community High School, Duns will also be able to host major sporting events, such as football and rugby tournaments for children and adults alike in a single area. Finally, such an approach will enable SBC to swap a difficult to develop, listed site, which is made complex on account of the embedded users, such as the swimming pool and squash club, for a good clean site, which is immediately adjacent to existing and newly-zoned residential areas.
For all these reasons I hope that Scottish Borders Council planners will support the proposed amendment and enable the people of Duns and indeed Scottish Borders Council reap the benefits that it will bring.
I urge all like minded people in Duns and district to write to SBC's planning department supporting this amendment.