FRUSTRATED residents have taken it upon themselves to ‘mark out’ the preferred location for the new Galashiels Academy campus.

Earlier this month, the town’s community council was told laying sawdust at Scott Park “would not be a good idea”.

But last weekend, fed-up locals took to the area with tape to get an idea of the scale of the proposals put forward by Scottish Borders Council (SBC).

Among them was engineer Stuart Gordon.

He told us: “I went up there with a few neighbours to mark it out and it didn’t take long at all.

“We used the measurements which were provided in the council’s agenda pack for its meeting on December 17.

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“It is an estimate, but it gives you an idea of the scale we are looking at – it is a shocker.

“It will take up a significant area of the park. I think people would be taken aback.”

Mr Gordon also repeated calls for SBC to mark out the school as part of the public consultation.

He added: “The best place for this consultation to be held is in Scott Park.

“It could be marked out properly by the council and boards could show all of the options.

“People say we are against this because we live nearby, but that is not the case.

“We have had the school in our ‘backyard’ for the last 30 years. We do not want to lose this significant piece of the park.”

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At January’s special meeting of Galashiels Community Council, local councillor Sandy Aitchison said he was working to ensure the consultation is as easy as possible for the public.

He said: “This will be a community campus for the whole town. It is not just a school.

“It will encompass numerous facets of Gala society.

“I have suggested we have a ‘walk in and out’ consultation at the Volunteer Hall and that is in discussion.”

A spokesperson for Scottish Borders Council said: "An informal community consultation on the new Gala Community Campus will be undertaken later this month by the council, providing full details of all the available options for the rebuild."