Green light for St Boswells distillery project welcomed

Developers of a new £46m grain distillery in the Borders have welcomed a decision to approve their plans.

Growing demand for gin has helped to fuel the Jackson Distillers scheme on the Charlesfield Industrial Estate in St Boswells.

It will produce about 20 million litres of pure alcohol a year to help meet rising demand for use in blended whisky, gin and vodka.

It will create about 20 permanent jobs and 200 during construction.

The company said an 18-month construction period was scheduled to begin next year with spirit being produced in 2024.

Jacksons Distillers founder Trevor Jackson said planning approval was another "significant step forward".

He said they had "great support" for the proposals to ensure they fitted into the landscape and included measures to reduce their climate impact.

"We are grateful to everyone who has helped us to get to this stage and will continue to work with local stakeholders as we now progress with construction," he said.