A PETITION to stop the development of part of Scott Park, Galashiels, has failed to change Borders councillors’ minds.

Two months ago, civil engineer Stuart Gordon launched the petition on Change.org – which has so far amassed more than 700 signatures – in a bid to stop the new Gala Academy campus being built in the park.

However, in a meeting of Scottish Borders Council’s audit and scrutiny committee on January 14, councillors agreed to follow the advice of officers and wait for a public consultation to be completed.

“There will be a significant adverse impact on Scott Park,” Mr Gordon said.

Chaired by councillor Stuart Bell (SNP), the committee heard from Mr Gordon who explained why he had concerns regarding the development, in particular the potential loss of green space from the park.

READ MORE: Civil engineer: 'Do not ruin Gala by building school in Scott Park'

On December 17, at a full council meeting, councillors approved the recommendation to carry forward ‘option three’ as the preferred location for the new school.

But Mr Gordon argued that ‘option one’ would be more suitable and would encroach less on the public park.

“The resulting design [option three] still results in a catastrophic impact and significant loss of amenity in Scott Park,” he said, “to the extent that the character and open space of the park will be permanently lost.”

In response to the committee’s decision to support a public consultation featuring option three, among others, Mr Gordon added: “I can’t pretend to not be disappointed.”