Green light for 'unique' £450m Borders resort

SCOTLAND is to get its first Center Parcs after Scottish Borders Council gave the go-ahead for a £450million holiday village between Hawick and Selkirk.

- BY BEN BORLAND

It will be the seventh Center Parcs in the UK and Ireland and is expected to create jobs for more than 1,200 people. Overall, the destination is predicted to contribute £75m each year to the Scottish Borders economy, including £8.8m in tourism spend.

Detailed design work and tendering processes will begin, with work at the site due to start in spring 2026. It is hoped the new village — to be named ‘Center Parcs Scottish Borders’ — will open in summer 2029.

Colin McKinlay, CEO of Center Parcs, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have secured planning permission for the creation of our seventh Center Parcs village.

“It has been a whirlwind journey and the welcome we have received from local communities, businesses and stakeholders has been genuinely heartening.

“Their engagement has been invaluable in shaping the design of the village and in supporting the development of a robust, well-considered planning application, and we look forward to continuing that engagement in the months and years ahead.”