PLANS for a new Center Parcs in the UK are set to go ahead, as officials recommend proposals are approved.
The new 700-lodge site will be Scotland‘s first Center Parcs holiday village.
As for things to see and do at the holiday village, there will be new lochs, nature trails and woodland, as well as an indoor swimming complex, a health spa, outdoor activities, shops and restaurants.
The proposed holiday village is set to cost around £450million and is located near to Hawick.
Despite some locals objections, officials said they were satisfied with the bid, with hopes for the green light for works to start next year.
Lead planning officer Barry Fotheringham said: “The proposals justify a clear requirement for a large rural site located outwith any settlement and there are demonstrable economic and social benefits, not just to the Scottish Borders region but to Scotland as a whole.”
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“Given the scale and size of the development, it is accepted that there will be impacts but having regard to the mitigating factors set out in the accompanying documentation submitted with the application, the proposals will not have an adverse impact on the landscape or the environment.
He added: “The proposal, which represents a £450m investment in the region, has the potential to be transformational in the context of the Borders economy, delivering year-round quality jobs as well as hundreds of thousands of new visitors annually, and is likely to act as a catalyst for wider economic regeneration.”
Once open, Center Parcs hopes to welcome around 350,000 visitors a year to the Scottish holiday park.
Center Parcs’ chief executive Colin McKinlay previously said that if planning permission was granted before the end of the year, then he hoped that the park would welcome its first visitors in early 2029.
The Scottish Borders Council’s planning committee will make a final decision on the park on December 8.
The last UK Center Parcs resort to have opened was Woburn Forest in 2017, although Lonford Forest in Ireland opened in 2019.
Earlier this year, Center Parcs released images of what the village would look like.
Destinations in the park include a subtropical swimming paradise with a lazy river, an Aqua Sana Forest Spa with a pool and a hot tub, a pancake house, waterside lodges, a sports plaza and a Nature and Heritage Centre.
Colin McKinlay said: “[There will be a] two kilometre access road that would take you up to the start of the area where we’re looking to develop.
“You’ll be met with a cycle centre, a spa, you’ll be able to walk through a forest to an iconic view of our swimming pool complex with up to about 700 lodges that’ll be interspersed within the trees.
“Together with a nature centre, a heritage centre, lots of outdoor activities as well.”
He added: “This has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation investment for the Scottish Borders.”
Center Parcs also recently revealed its first-ever new adventure attraction.
Plus, here’s how to bag an affordable Center Parcs stay with your family.