LAST orders could soon be called for the final time at a Borders pub that has stood for “hundreds of years”.
A planning application has been submitted to Scottish Borders Council for the change of use of "Deans Bar" and function suite at 3 Orrock Place into a private dwelling.
The aim is to regenerate the property from its current vacant state to a domestic property matching all other properties within the overall block.
It is known that there has been a public bar at the location for centuries.
At a licensing court in 1880, Bailie Milligan stated that the-then Ewe & Lamb had been licensed “for hundreds of years”.
And an agent who appeared on behalf of the new applicant observed that the premises had been licensed since “time immemorial”.
It is known that prior to this James Elliot was the proprietor in 1841 with the inn re-built during his tenure in around 1860.
This was then re-built as the current form in the 1950s replacing the former structure.
The current structure takes the form of the commercial property to the ground floor with flats above it.
The pub changed to form a public members club in 2005, turning back again in 2016, until Deans Bar closed finally in May this year.
It was a sad decision for landlord and landlady Mark and Pauline Deans to call time on the watering hole but the couple admitted it had been an “uphill struggle” to keep operating over recent times.
A statement with the application, from Selkirk-based Stuart Davidson architects, says: “It has become clear with attempted leasing by our clients and the current trend nationally, notably within Hawick, that the use of the property as a public bar has now reached a point that is not sustainable.
“There have been a number of noise complaints from owners above the property with sizeable sound testing studies and sound performance upgrades carried out in an attempt to appease and find a solution to the issue.
“The proposal to re-develop as a residential property for their use allows a building which is currently vacant and will continue to be vacant for the foreseeable future to be re-generated and allow the full building to match that of the immediately adjoining property to be fully residential.
“Any potential works would be carried out with materials resistant to potential rising water and any existing materials not suitable replaced, it would be proposed that the property would be fitted with flood barriers to all doorways to be part of the early warning flood scheme.”
