A PROPOSAL to plant a wildflower meadow across a popular sledging slope used by generations of Peebles residents has been met with outrage.

The plan at Haylodge Park – which aims to boost biodiversity – was discussed at an outdoor site meeting this week.

The slope, at the western end of the park, is Common Good land and managed by Scottish Borders Council (SBC).

Parks development officer Darren Flint and the three Tweeddale West councillors – Drummond Begg, Viv Thomson and Eric Small – met members of a number of groups to outline the suggestion.

It was the idea of altering the sledging slope that caused anger.

John Falla, of Floral Peebles, said: “Floral Peebles would be utterly against this [slope] plan.

“It is the only sledging slope left in the town unless you have a car and take the kids away.

“I spoke to five members of the public, too, this morning, walking their dogs through Haylodge, and they would be utterly against anything happening to that slope.

“The children can get benefits of finding animals and bugs in plenty of other areas, for example, below the orchard and the back of the grandstand in Whitestone Park.”

Drew Fraser, a founding member of the Gutterbluids Society, backed up Mr Falla and said: “That slope has been a sledging slope all my life.

“That’s where the children sledge in the winter and I would be against anything there.”

The proposal for the slope, which has been developed by the local authority, is part of a number of measures being considered for the park.

In a council document published earlier this year, an idea for a ‘legacy oak wood’ – developed and planted over a number of years by successive primary school classes – was put forward.

SBC is working with Destination Tweed on its Pollinators Along the Tweed project.

It aims to restore wildflower-rich habitat along the river and will create and restore 100 acres of pollinator habitat across 50 sites.

A project spokesperson said Pollinators Along the Tweed would “engage with the local authority, landowners and communities in the creation, management and monitoring of sites for pollinators”.

At this week’s meeting, Mr Flint added: “It is an ideas document; there is nothing fixed or decided, and being able to sledge down this hill will be fine.

“At the end of the season in September, there would be a cut and lift – which is standard grassland management, otherwise it goes rank.

“On the document we have tried to capture lots of different ideas which have been suggested by a whole host of people, from our initial walk round and talking to the parks environment operations team.”

Callant Hendry White asked if it would be SBC doing the work and Mr Flint said it would be carried out by a mix of volunteers and council workers.

It was suggested that various Kingsland Primary School parent volunteers would help by raking and bagging the cuttings.

Mr Falla suggested an alternative location for the wildflower meadow.

He said: “Why not plant the meadow along the banks of the Tweed at Kingsmeadows car park, which is south facing and flowers would grow great?”

Mr Begg, who chaired the meeting, was asked whether the council was attempting to save money by reducing the amount of grass needing to be cut.

He said that cost cutting was not part of the scheme.

It will come back to Peebles Common Good Fund committee’s meeting, to be held online, at 5pm on February 26.