Center Parcs has announced that its first holiday village in Scotland has the potential to “transform” tourism in the Scottish Borders region. The company has submitted plans to develop a 700-lodge resort on a 1,000-acre site located just north of Hawick, along the A7.
The proposed development, valued at approximately £400 million, was initially announced in November of last year and has now been officially submitted to the local council for approval.
Center Parcs currently operates five villages across England and launched its sixth—and first in Ireland—in County Longford in 2019. Each resort typically spans around 400 acres of woodland and remains open year-round.
The company estimates that its first Scottish village could attract 356,700 overnight visitors annually to the Scottish Borders and contribute £8.8 million to the local economy.
With 700 lodges planned, the development would increase hospitality accommodation in the area by 55%, the group stated.
The development will feature a variety of accommodations, including two-, three-, and six-bedroom lodges, treehouse units, and a three-story building housing 48 self-catering apartments.
Planned amenities for the holiday park include restaurants, bars, coffee shops, a ‘subtropical swimming paradise’ with a beach and wave pool, a sports plaza offering table tennis, badminton, and indoor climbing, as well as a forest spa and an outdoor activity centre.
A Tourism Impact Statement included with the plans noted that the Scottish Borders is “less developed as a tourism destination compared to other parts of Scotland,” but Center Parcs has the “significant potential to change this quite quickly and transform the area’s visitor economy for decades”.
If planning permission is granted, the company expects the site could welcome visitors as early as 2029. Since last year, Center Parcs has conducted multiple public consultations and engaged with approximately 1,000 local residents.
Chief executive Colin McKinlay said the group had “listened carefully” to feedback and tried to create a proposal that was “both ambitious and sensitive to its surroundings”.
He said: “This is an exciting opportunity – not just for Center Parcs but for the Scottish Borders. As we witnessed when we opened our newest location in County Longford in Ireland in 2019, a new village has the potential to transform local tourism, create year-round employment and bring a significant boost to the regional economy.”
Center Parcs will start holding weekly drop-in sessions in Hawick to address questions from the local community.
The group reported an 18% decline in pre-tax profits last year, down to £98.4 million, attributing the drop to consumers facing “lower levels of disposable income.”
Despite this, revenue rose to just over £704 million in the year ending April 2024, up from £669 million the previous year.
Brookfield, the Canadian private equity firm that owns Center Parcs, reportedly shelved plans for a £4 billion sale of the company last year after negotiations fell through.
