Center Parcs reveals plans for £400m Scottish holiday village

Center Parcs is planning to develop its first holiday park in Scotland with a £400m investment.

Around 1,000 acres of land in the Scottish Borders has been earmarked for the resort, around three miles north of Hawick and 55 miles south of Edinburgh.

Center Parcs plans to invest £350m - £400m into the scheme, which will include around 700 lodges, shops, bars, restaurants, a spa and indoor water park.

An estimated 750-800 construction jobs are expected to be created by the plans while the completed park will require 1,200 permanent staff.

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

The plans come after Center Parcs dropped a bid to build a 900-lodge site near Crawley in West Sussex last year after environmental surveys deemed the site unsuitable.

Colin McKinlay, chief executive officer at Center Parcs, said: “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.”

Center Parcs was founded in the Netherlands in 1968 and runs six holiday villages in the UK and Ireland.

Each village is located in around 400 acres of forest and lakes and is normally open 365 days a year.

The group saw pre-tax profits drop 18% last year to £98.4m, which it blamed on consumers struggling with “lower levels of disposable income”.

However, revenue increased to just over £704m in the year to April 2024, up from £669m the previous year.

Brookfield, the Candian private equity owner of Center Parcs, reportedly shelved plans for a £4b sale of the business last year after failing to reach a deal.