145 new houses have been approved for our neighbourly village of Chirnside (5 miles as the Jim Clark Rally will go across the ford) which should increase the population of the settlement from its present 1,200 to well over 1600 thus putting a considerable strain on local services including the school-see a previous rant. The density of this new development will be 12 to 13 houses an acre even worse than Paxton's Kanes Close and the Orchard. Ha! Some may remember the opposition a couple of years ago to the Laird putting areas of land in Paxton forward for inclusion in the draft local plan including 14 plus acres in Knowes Close. Opponents of the proposdal claimed that this acreage could find rom for 140 houses-a thought rubbished by the Laird in the ensuing war of the pamphlets. But on the Chirnside Model 14 acres at even 12 houses per acre would well exceed the Knowe's Close estimate which is shown not to have been a scare mongering exercise as some suggested at the time.
But a big difference-the Chirnside development has alreadybeen ear marked in the old local plan of 1994 and is 'generally welcomed' claims the
Berwickshire. But as far as Paxton is concerned the current draft excludes Knowe's Close and Vox Pop seemed massively against the idea when it was originally mooted. And in the event, earmarked or not, several people in Chirnside and a number of Borders Councillos oppopsed the proposal if only because of the density proposed for the site.
