TWEEDBANK residents have been “overwhelmingly supportive” of plans to build a new supermarket in the area, according to leaders of a Borders development.

Last month, this newspaper revealed that Lidl had stepped into the Borders Gateway project in place of a 71-bedroom Premier Inn.

And now a planning application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) for the supermarket – which will create up to 40 new jobs – to join the site.

In a recent community consultation held by Manor Place Developments and Lidl, more than 82 per cent of households were “in favour of the plan”.

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Duncan Hamilton, Manor Place Developments’ managing director, said: “We are delighted by the response we received and overwhelmed by the support from local residents. The team received over 1,200 responses from the leaflet and website with over 1,000 residents in support.

“It clearly shows that residents in and around Tweedbank are asking for easy access to a quality retail offer and the new Lidl store will deliver that.”

On the consultation, Lidl property chief Gordon Rafferty said the residents of Tweedbank “have really spoken and told us they want a new Lidl store”.

If plans are approved, the supermarket giant will join the Borders Gateway site at the junction of the A6019 and Tweedbank Drive.

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Developers saw Premier Inn pull out of the project in September, with the hotel chain stating that its participation was “currently unviable”.

As well as the supermarket, five industrial units have been proposed in the new plans.

In 2019, Manor Place Developments was granted planning permission from the council for a petrol filling station and a drive thru Costa outlet at the Tweedbank site.

Work on this part of the development will commence in January, according to a spokesperson.

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Duncan Hamilton added: “It will be great to get started onsite in the new year with the first phase of the development.

“We hope to get a speedy decision from SBC on the new application so we can progress with the new industrial units and the Lidl store.”

The Borders Gateway scheme will create over 100 new jobs, said Mr Hamilton.

Developers are hopeful that a decision on the application could be reached in spring next year.