Center Parcs has announced it is opening its first holiday resort in Scotland, on land on the Scottish Borders.
The company revealed that the £350-400 million village will be located approximately three miles north of Hawick and 55 miles south of Edinburgh.
Center Parcs described the site as “well located” and that it would “provide significant benefits to the local economy in Scotland, including job creation”.
The company continued in a statement: “The proposed village will be a similar concept to the six existing Center Parcs holiday villages in England and Ireland, and a planning application will be submitted for approximately 700 accommodation. The site will offer a range of activities under indoor and outdoor shops, bars, restaurants, an Aqua Sana Forest Spa and Center Parcs’ iconic indoor water park, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise.
‘Center Parcs plans to undertake an extensive afforestation programme, carefully cultivating new woodland and generating a significant net gain of biodiversity at the site. Currently the site is predominantly open grassland with some wooded areas.’
The firm added: “The proposals are at an early stage and Center Parcs intends to submit a planning application in 2025.”
During the construction phase of the project, between 750 and 800 jobs will be created, mainly regional, Center Parcs said, and “local contractors will be used wherever possible.”
Once operational, the village is expected to create around 1,200 permanent non-seasonal jobs.
Center Parcs has announced it will open its first holiday resort in Scotland, at a site in the Scottish Borders (File image of Center Parcs Elveden Forest)
Colin McKinlay, chief executive of Center Parcs, said: “This is a hugely exciting project and offers the opportunity to transform leisure and tourism in the Scottish Borders.
‘Center Parcs is an exceptionally popular destination for families in the UK and Ireland and there is strong demand to support a seventh village.
‘Throughout our history we have demonstrated that a Center Parcs village provides significant economic benefits at a local, regional and national level.
‘Many Scottish families already visit the Center Parcs villages in England, and this village will offer people the opportunity to enjoy their holidays closer to home, which in turn will benefit the local economy.
‘Sustainability is fundamental to our values. In our three decades of operation in the UK and Ireland, we have transformed areas of commercial woodland into a rich tapestry of flora and fauna, significantly improving the biodiversity of each town.
“This site gives us the opportunity to take a bold new approach and create a forest ourselves, generating a significant net gain of biodiversity and planting thousands of new trees.”
David Hope-Jones, executive director of the South Scotland Destinations Alliance (SSDA), said: “We welcome this news about the proposal to build Scotland’s first Center Parcs village in the Scottish Borders as it will create significant economic and community benefits, attract new visitors to the region and increase interest in the south of Scotland. The scale of the investment and potential is immense; it represents a huge endorsement of our region’s rapidly growing reputation as a year-round destination.”
Center Parcs said the town will have a swimming paradise (Center Parcs archive image)