Center Parcs announces first Scottish holiday village with £400m investment plan

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

The company have submitted proposals to adapt a site in the Scottish Borders, approximately three miles north of Hawick and 55 miles south of Edinburgh. The site is well-located and would provide significant benefits to the local economy, including job creation.

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. Proposals are at an early stage and Center Parcs intends to submit a planning application in 2025.

The proposed village will be a similar concept to Center Parcs’ existing six-holiday villages in England and Ireland, and a planning application will be submitted for approximately 700 lodges. The site will offer a range of indoor and outdoor activities, shops, bars, restaurants, an Aqua Sana Forest Spa and Center Parcs’ iconic indoor water park, the Subtropical Swimming Paradise.

The plan is to undertake an extensive programme of afforestation, carefully cultivating a new woodland and delivering significant biodiversity net gain on the site. Currently, the site is predominantly open grassland with some woodland areas.

Center Parcs outlined its proposals in Hawick today to a gathering of community leaders and business and political representatives.

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.

“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.

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“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.”

During the construction phase of the project, 750-800 mainly regional jobs will be created, and local contractors will be used where possible.

Once operational, the village is expected to create around 1,200 permanent non-seasonal jobs. These will be largely local jobs and offer significant career opportunities, including management positions. Once operational, local suppliers will be used as much as possible.

The estimated investment to build the new village will be between £350m-£400m.

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.

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