Center Parcs announces plans for first Scottish holiday village

Center Parcs has announced plans for its first holiday village in Scotland.

The business is hoping to expand north of the border with a 700 lodge site near Hawick in the Scottish Borders.

The proposals, due to be submitted in 2025, include a range of indoor and outdoor activities, shops, bars, restaurants, an Aqua Sana Forest Spa and the signature indoor water park, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise.

Center Parcs has also outlined plans to plant a number of trees at the 1,000 acres plot to create a new woodland area.

The holiday company, which currently operates six villages across UK and Ireland, believes the project will cost between £350m to £400m, with between 750 and 800 regional jobs created during the construction phase.

Once completed, Center Parcs expect the village to create around 1,200 permanent non-seasonal jobs.

Colin McKinlay, chief executive officer of Center Parcs, said: “This is a tremendously 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 robust demand to support a seventh village.

Center Parcs CEO Colin McKinlay and Raj Singh-Dehal, Chief Corporate Officer Center Parcs

“Throughout our history, we have demonstrated that a Center Parcs village provides significant economic benefits locally, regionally and nationally.

“Many Scottish families already visit Center Parcs villages in England, and this village will offer the chance for people to enjoy their holidays closer to home, which in turn will benefit the local economy.

“Sustainability is core to our values. In our three decades of operating in the UK and Ireland, we have transformed areas of commercial woodland into a rich tapestry of flora and fauna, considerably enhancing the biodiversity of each village. This site gives us the opportunity to take a bold, new approach and create a woodland ourselves, delivering significant biodiversity net gain and planting thousands of new trees.

“We are at an early stage with these proposals and have a lengthy and thorough planning process ahead. We have already conducted a significant number of surveys to assess the site and we intend to continue with additional site surveys and design development, alongside a programme of pre-planning application consultation and community engagement.”

The site lies to the east of the A7 trunk road between Hawick and Selkirk on land owned by the Buccleuch Group, which has signed an option agreement with Center Parcs.

Benny Higgins, executive chairman of the Buccleuch Group, said: “This project promises to have an outstandingly positive impact on tourism and leisure in the Scottish Borders and we are delighted to have signed an option agreement that will enable Center Parcs to take the next steps towards fulfilling its ambitions.”