Center Parcs reveals major plans for first ever holiday village in Scotland

CENTER Parcs has revealed plans for its first-ever holiday village in Scotland.

The short-break holiday company is developing proposals for a 700 lodge resort in the Scottish Borders.

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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.

The site will offer a range of indoor and outdoor activities, shops, bars, restaurants and an Aqua Sana Forest Spa.

Chief exec Colin McKinlay 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.

“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 once operational the village is expected to create around 1,200 permanent non-seasonal jobs.

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