Scottish Borders Council has received a planning application for the change of use of paddock land to extend the existing Wigwam Holidays park at Cove Park, Cockburnspath, by erecting four Hobbit pods.

A report submitted with the application, from Eyemouth-based IRD Design Limited, said: “The aim of the applicants is to extend their existing business and create what is thought to be the first ‘Hobbit Village’ in Scotland.

“The site is the perfect location being relatively rural and isolated whilst only a short walk to the nearby amenities in the town of Cockburnspath, and local beaches at Cove or Pease Bay.

“As the buildings are essentially delivered to site and buried semi-underground and then covered with soil and turf, the impact is minimal and would be hardly noticeable from the nearest road.”

The structures would be constructed using High Density Polythene (HDP) plastic.

Hobbits are a fictional race of people in the novels of J.R.R Tolkien, about half average human height, who live in underground houses.