Scottish Borders Center Parcs
The South of Scotland Destination Alliance (SSDA) strongly welcomes the proposal to build Scotland’s first Center Parcs village in the Scottish Borders, in accordance with the stated views of the majority of SSDA Members we represent.
A snap survey of SSDA Members as the proposal was launched on the 5th November 2024 shows the overwhelming majority of respondents:
- Strongly support the proposed new Centre Parcs village
- Feel the new Center Parcs village will strengthen their business
- Want the SSDA to support and engage the proposition, looking to constructively influence to maximise benefits for local businesses and communities.
The SSDA is working closely with the top leadership of Center Parcs UK on this proposition. We are advocating for every one of the 300,000+ visitors to the new Center Parcs to receive 'Scotland Starts Here' marketing information, encouraging them to extend their stay and explore the South of Scotland. We are also looking to secure explicit agreements with regards the local food and drinks offering on the site. SSDA Members will have the chance to meet the Center Parcs CEO and Chief Corporate Officer as part of these discussions to share their views and learn more about the exciting plans.
About the proposition:
In addition to the 750-800 construction jobs, the proposed new Center Parcs site will create an estimated 1,200 permanent new jobs; the overwhelming majority of which will be locally filled. As such, it has the potential to transform the central Scottish Borders, bringing new opportunities to towns like Hawick, Selkirk, Jedburgh and Galashiels. This will give young people a reason to stay in the Borders and invest in careers in the visitor economy.
Having listened to businesses and communities through 2023, we co-developed the South of Scotland 2024-34 Responsible Tourism Strategy, which aims to increase the number of jobs in our visitor economy by 6,000 over the next decade. This one proposed development has the potential to achieve 20% of this ten-year regional job-creation target. The sheer scale of proposed economic investment into the area is immense, with an estimated £350-£450 million of direct investment from Center Parcs coming into the South of Scotland, with a strong commitment to using local suppliers and local produce, and breaking contracts up so many local businesses, including smaller businesses, can benefit.
We understand that it is anticipated that this new Center Parcs village will generate around £27m of additional spend in the local economy a year.
The year-round nature of the Center Parcs offering, with over 97% occupancy, will breathe new life into the Borders through the autumn, winter and spring. It will help businesses to invest in extending their season (another of the key priorities in the Responsible Tourism Strategy), knowing that there will be steady flow of higher-spending visitors 12-months a year.
Perhaps most significantly, this proposed development speaks volumes about the success the South of Scotland is having branding itself as a leading destination under the brand 'Scotland Starts Here'. Center Parcs looked at over 100 possible locations before choosing the Scottish Borders.
Center Parcs is the industry leader for family-friendly, environmentally sustainable short-breaks. It is a huge global brand with a significant and loyal following. They have chosen to locate the first Center Parcs in Scotland in the Scottish Borders and this will cement the South of Scotland's reputation as a leading destination, with fast growing popularity. It is a huge endorsement of our region, as a go to -rather than go through- destination. Scotland really does Start Here
We do not believe this new proposed Center Parcs will take significant visitor numbers away from existing businesses, as the overwhelming majority of those who visit Center Parcs, perhaps 95%, would not otherwise come to the area. This is new custom, new visitors, and new opportunities, and it is an amazing opportunity to raise the profile of the South. Center Parcs has a proven record of catalysing wider economic development with resultant community benefit. Most visitors to Center Parcs stay for 3 or 4 nights, during which time they stay on the site itself, but many combine this with a stay elsewhere in the area. This means that, with joined-up marketing, visitor economy businesses can expect to see a potentially transformational flow of new year-round visitors. Even if only a small fraction of Center Parcs guests bolt-on a stay elsewhere in the region, this would result in tens of thousands of visitors spending millions of pounds in local hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, attractions and high streets, right through the year.
What is proposed is a 'next generation' park, with Center Parcs committed to creating an environmentally sustainable site, with protection of mature trees, new planting and a carbon neutral park. This is not a high-rise, ‘sell em cheap stack em high’ development: it will be low-profile, discretely spread across 1,000 acres, sensitive to the rural aesthetic, and attracting comparatively higher-spending visitors to 700 lodges.
At the launch event, SSDA CEO David Hope-Jones, asked the Center Parcs UK CEO Colin McKinlay two questions and received strong positive assurances to both:
- Center Parcs confirmed that they would embed themselves in the existing destination brand ‘Scotland Starts Here’ to help encourage their visitors to also explore the wider area before or after their stay at Center Parcs.
- Center Parcs confirmed they are committed to local food and drink suppliers, embracing, supporting and celebrating local provenance.
The SSDA will continue to work with Center Parcs to ensure the investment complements and supports existing offerings in the visitor community, maximises economic and community benefit, and that the majority of jobs and contracts go to local communities and suppliers. We will also work with Scottish Borders Council and others to ensure we have the travel infrastructure ready to welcome these extra visitors. We will work with local food and drink producers to help them increase production and supply Center Parcs with quality, local produce at scale. And we will work with the colleges, schools and the public sector to ensure we have the workforce ready for this exciting new chapter.
There is much to be done in the next two years to achieve all this: it will require energy, dedication, unity and ambition.
At its core, the SSDA is there to support and represent the South of Scotland visitor economy. Given the scale of this proposition, it has been necessary to maintain absolute confidentiality. We are now keen to share our views, loudly and proudly, and make the positive case for job-creation and community benefit.
Through our Locally Led Destination Development work, we will ensure we keep listening to, and working with, local businesses. Sign up now to your local meeting this autumn if you haven’t already.
David Hope-Jones OBE, CEO of the SSDA said:
“As with any such major announcement, it is understandable that some local to the area may be nervous about the proposition. Many will be asking themselves, will it disturb the delicate balance of the Scottish Borders, will it dilute our unique culture and heritage, will it damage our natural capital, or will it place too much strain on rural infrastructure?
“As a local resident, living just minutes from the site, I understand these worries. However, I have every confidence that what is proposed is profoundly good for local communities, the Scottish Borders and the South of Scotland. 1,200 quality, year-round jobs has the potential to transform many of our communities: it is an unprecedented investment and belief in the Scottish Borders.
The benefits will be felt not just by those directly involved in tourism but the wider community as well, as new jobs are created and businesses such as local cafes, restaurants and attractions (which are used by local communities as well as visitors) are supported to stay open year-round. “If we want a thriving local economy which supports community prosperity, we must embrace game-changing opportunities like this.
“I therefore look forward to working closely with Center Parcs in the coming months and years to ensure this new development is sustainably embedded at the centre of our visitor economy and our communities.”
