The final public consultation over plans for Scotland’s first Center Parcs holiday village near Hawick will be staged next week. The holiday giant will return to Hawick next week for a two-day open event, in what will be its fourth and final community consultation event, ahead of the formal planning application for its proposed holiday village just off the A7, north of Hawick and south of Selkirk, being submitted to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) in the summer. If planning permission is granted for the Scottish Borders site, the development is expected to generate between 750 and 800 jobs during the construction phase.
Once operational, the village will create approximately 1,200 permanent, non-seasonal roles—offering a wide range of career opportunities for local residents, including management positions. The total investment in the project is estimated at between £350 million and £400 million. The team from Center Parcs, along with their specialist planning and design consultants, will be at Hawick Rugby Football Club on Tuesday, May 20, 2pm to 7pm, and Wednesday, May 21, 11am to 7pm, when members of the public will have an opportunity to view plans as they stand and speak directly to the team and ask questions about the proposed holiday village. Comments can be made directly to Center Parcs for consideration on these exhibition days or anytime thereafter until Friday, June 6.
An updated masterplan of the proposed village will be presented at the event as well as a 3D flythrough simulation, scaled model design of the village centre, and visuals of the accommodation and central buildings. Consultants will also be present on both days to discuss the planning application, village design, landscaping, traffic, water and drainage, ecology, architecture and arboriculture. Once the planning documentation is finalised and submitted to Scottish Borders Council this summer, the application will be advertised and comments will be able to be made directly to SBC planning as part of their decision-making on the application. Colin McKinlay, chief executive of Center Parcs, said: “We’ve been delighted to meet so many members of the community throughout our consultation events, and we’ve been encouraged by the genuine enthusiasm shown for our proposed village in the Scottish Borders. As we approach a key milestone, we’re looking forward to returning to Hawick next week for our final two-day consultation event.
These events have given the public a real opportunity to share their views, and we’ve carefully considered all feedback to help shape our planning application. Next week’s event will give another opportunity to speak directly with our team, ask questions, and raise any concerns prior to the submission of an application this summer. “We’ll be unveiling our updated masterplan for the village, along with a 3D fly-through of the site. We encourage as many people as possible to drop in at any time over the two days, review the plans, and speak with members of our senior leadership and planning teams. Center Parcs currently operates six villages across the UK and Ireland and brings over 35 years of experience in delivering high-quality, family short breaks.
