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Old mill mountain bike centre conversion abandoned

SOSE An aerial view of an old mill site in the Borders with an industrial chimney and dilapidated propertiesSOSE
The cost of putting the innovation centre at Caerlee Mill has become prohibitive

Plans to convert an old mill in the Borders into a £19m mountain bike innovation centre have been abandoned.

It had been hoped the project could go ahead at Caerlee Mill in Innerleithen but "significant structural issues" have since been uncovered.

At a meeting in the town, it was agreed South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) would continue to negotiate to find a different site.

It will also explore options to find a "viable future" for Caerlee Mill site which could include demolition.

SOSE An internal view of an old mill with scaffolding holding up the ceiling and graffiti on the wallsSOSE
SOSE said that as it investigated inside Caerlee the scale of its structural issues become clearer

The mountain bike centre - being delivered by SOSE with support from Scottish Borders Council and Napier University - is a flagship Borderlands Growth Deal project.

It has been predicted to generate more than £100m for the local economy and create over 400 jobs in the next 10 years.

It was earmarked for the mill site after it was purchased by SOSE and planning permission secured.

However, the meeting was told that it had now emerged costs to carry out the work at Caerlee had become prohibitive.

Tweeddale East councillor Julie Pirone said they needed to be informed quickly which new sites were being considered.

She added that Caerlee Mill remained an important place for the community of Innerleithen.

"What I do not want to see is that it lies empty for years and years like other mill sites we have all over the Borders," she said.

"I am disappointed that SOSE have taken quite a long time to get to where we are."

She said it was important the community could trust the promise that a future would be found for the site now that it would not host the mountain bike centre.

Prof Russel Griggs, who chairs SOSE, said the scale of the difficulty in coverting the mill had emerged over time.

"As you get in to looking at an old building - kind of like an old car - until you actually get inside them and look at them you don't know what the issues are," he said.

"As we got further into looking at the mill building we discovered an awful lot of stuff that means it is either going to cost an awful lot more money or we are going to have to knock the building down."

He said he was confident they could secure a new location for the development within months.