Holiday village operator Center Parcs has unveiled plans for its first facility in Scotland. The new resort near Hawick in the Scottish Borders would represent a £350 million investment and could create up to 1,200 jobs.
Pictures 1 to 5: Center Parcs
Center Parcs currently attracts millions of visitors annually to its six locations across the UK and Ireland. The proposals for Scotland are still at an early stage, with a planning application for around 700 cottages due to be submitted in 2025.
A range of indoor and outdoor activities are available, including an indoor water park. Center Parcs managing director Colin McKinlay said: “This is a hugely exciting project and offers the opportunity to transform leisure and tourism in the Scottish Borders.”
Center Parcs UK and Ireland currently has 6 resorts
“Center Parcs is an extremely popular family destination in the UK and Ireland. “Throughout our history, we have demonstrated that we provide significant economic benefits locally, regionally and nationally,” McKinlay continued.
The approximate location of the planned Center Parc in the Borders. (Own illustration / NordNordWest / CC BY-SA 3.0)
The site is on land east of the A7 between Hawick and Selkirk, owned by the Buccleuch Group. Its chief executive said the project promises to have an “extremely positive impact” on tourism and leisure activities in the region.
Der Scottish Borders Council labeled the message described as “absolutely phenomenal” for the region. David Hope-Jones, chief executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, representing hundreds of tourism businesses, welcomed the plans to build a Center Parc.
background: Center Parcs Europe owns and operates a chain of 27 holiday parks in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. The tourism company based in the Netherlands, which is particularly popular with families with children, offers a total of over 200,000 beds.
Center Parcs UK and Ireland have been operating independently since 2001 with 6 resorts to date. Around two million guests stay there every year. Park number 7 should soon be in Scotland.
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