Building once known as 'first hotel in Scotland' to become business hub

Plans to convert a building once known as "the first hotel in Scotland" into a business hub have been approved.

The Greens Hotel in Gretna - formerly known as the Garden House Hotel - was used for years for weddings and tourist accommodation.

It was called the first hotel in Scotland due to its position close to the border.

The hotel ceased trading due to the impact of the Covid pandemic but reopened briefly as a restaurant in 2023, before closing again in the face of worsening economic conditions and the cost of living crisis.

A planning statement seeking the change of use said the the site was "no longer financially viable" as a hotel, but the prominent landmark could still be converted "for the benefit of the wider community".

A council report agreed that the resuse of the "signficant vacant site" at the entrance to the town would be beneficial and complement the existing shopping complex at Caledonia Park.

"It has been demonstrated that the previous hotel use had become unviable and the proposed use would, therefore, also have a potential positive economic impact," the report added.

Gretna is known as Scotland's wedding capital and is the site of thousands of ceremonies every year.

However, that was badly affected by the pandemic and resulting restrictions on numbers able to attend such gatherings.

Although numbers have since recovered, the hotel was unable to survive and closed its doors in 2020.

It reopened briefly but has been shut for the past two years.