LOCAL business owners in Selkirk have slammed Scottish Borders Council over its handling of the town’s £450,000 regeneration scheme.

Work to improve Market Place began on Monday and is set to run for seven months.

And although shoppers will still have access to local businesses, some traders have hit out at the “lack of consultation” over the plans.

Andy Bennett, who is manager of bookmakers Scotbet, told the Border Telegraph: “I think it is a shambles, the way this has been handled. There has been no consultation with the businesses.

“Nobody was told about this work, we had nothing through the door to say what was going to be happening.

“There has already been 10 weeks of upheaval with the temporary traffic lights in the town centre, now it’s going to be affected for seven months. It’s going to be seven months of hardship and I know some businesses are devastated and dead against it.

“The council has even planned to put trees right in front of the shop [the bookmakers] so it covers the sign. I think it is because they don’t want a bookies an the street.”

It has also been claimed that Halliwell’s Butchers is the first casualty of the upheaval, after the store ended its 14-year presence in the town on Monday.

The regeneration project is part of the Selkirk Streetscape Scheme and plans include creating safer and improved areas for bus passengers to board, better seating and pavement surfaces, improved pedestrian crossings and provision to allow Market Place to be used for events and markets.

But Scottish Borders Council insist that “extensive consultation has taken place with the local community”.

A spokesperson added: “This has included a number of meetings with a Selkirk Stakeholder Group which includes 15 different organisations from across the town to discuss the plans, as well as a drop-in session at the Victoria Halls in September last year for the local community to give their views on the proposed scheme.

“While the improvements to Market Place will run until the end of March 2018, the works are being phased to minimise disruption to visitors and traders whilst allowing construction works to be undertaken.

“Signage is also in place to advise members of the public that businesses in the local area remain open as usual. Officers have visited local traders in the vicinity of Market Place in recent weeks to discuss the scheme.

“Following these discussions, the council is keen to retain the trees in the scheme but has agreed to consider the spacing in order to maintain visibility of the shop signage.”