The Scottish Borders, best known for Sir Walter Scott’s Abbotsford home, abbey ruins, and Pringle sweaters, is about to see its tourism rating rise by a few notches along with its appeal to investors.
A £450 million Center Parcs resort, which has just been approved by the council, is seen as helping to transform the area from “go through” to “go to”, with a wider impact on jobs and local businesses.
The holiday village will bring 350,000 visitors to a woodland site on 1,000 acres of land between Hawick and Selkirk, owned by the Buccleuch Group.
It is expected to contribute £75m each year to the Scottish Borders economy, including £8.8m in tourism spend, about 8.5% of the current total (£96m).
Economic development agency South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) is wasting no time leveraging the company’s decision to attract more investment.
SOSE chief executive Jane Morrison-Ross, said: “An investment of this scale by Center Parcs presents massive opportunities for Hawick and the Scottish Borders.
“It will help diversify the visitor economy, attract new people, deliver inclusive growth and provide significant supply chain opportunities for SMEs and entrepreneurs.
“This investment also provides a chance to tackle head-on the economic challenges of the past which still impact communities such as Hawick.
“Center Parcs is one of the most significant investments for our region, and it is proving a catalyst for other inward investors who are quickly realising that the South of Scotland is the place to do business.”
Russel Griggs, chair of SOSE, describes the project as “a hugely significant milestone not just for Center Parcs, but for the Scottish Borders, and the South of Scotland”.
He added: “It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, and there is more hard work to come but SOSE and our partners are committed to supporting Center Parcs with their exciting plans, which will be transformational for our region.
“The benefits are expected to be widespread, with the most recent Center Parcs village to open in Ireland making a positive impact on rural repopulation and retaining young people in the area.”
Detailed design work and tendering processes on the newly-named Center Parcs Scottish Borders will now begin, with work at the site likely to start in spring 2026 and a planned opening date of summer 2029.
Colin McKinlay, CEO of Center Parcs, said: “It has been a whirlwind journey since we first announced our intention to bring Center Parcs to the region, and the welcome we have received from local communities, businesses and stakeholders has been genuinely heartening.”
Center Parcs Scottish Borders will see the company plant a forest for the first time, carefully selecting complementary and native species to create a thriving woodland.
The village will feature up to 700 lodges and apartments, shops and restaurants, and the signature Aqua Sana Forest Spa.
Other key features of the proposal include two newly-created lochs designed for water sports and recreation, a combined Nature and Heritage Centre with, wildflower meadows, nature trails, and wetlands to promote biodiversity as well as a wide range of outdoor activities, integrated sympathetically into the landscape.
It will be Center Parcs’ seventh village and first since the opening of Longford Forest in Ireland in 2019. Despite once being owned by Edinburgh-based Scottish & Newcastle Breweries, it has never had one in Scotland, but Mr McKinlay believes the time is right.
“Center Parcs Scottish Borders will allow us to reach a new market, attracting families from across Scotland and the north of England who may not have previously considered a Center Parcs break. We know there is strong demand,” he said.
Benny Higgins, executive chairman of the Buccleuch Group, said: “This is tremendously exciting news for the Scottish Borders. Outstanding social, economic and environmental benefits have been delivered at other Center Parcs locations, and I have no doubt the Scottish Borders will enjoy a similar positive impact.”
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