First Minister John Swinney got work on Center Parcs’ Scottish Borders village officially under way today by planting the first trees on the site. Mr Swinney was joined by schoolchildren from the Borders as well as Center Parcs’ CEO Colin McKinlay as afforestation began at the site between Hawick and Selkirk. The event marked a key milestone in the creation of the £450 million village, which is expected to create around 1,200 jobs and contribute £75 million annually to the Scottish Borders economy.
During the visit, the First Minister also confirmed the Scottish Government’s commitment to provide up to £30 million to deliver the essential infrastructure needed to make the resort possible. This funding will support enabling works to prepare the site, whilst also providing significant benefit for communities living in the Scottish Borders.
As part of the development, Center Parcs will create an entirely new forest – the first time the company has established woodland from scratch when developing a new village.
Hundreds of thousands of trees will be planted across the site, forming woodland that will mature over the coming decades. The new forest will deliver long-term environmental and biodiversity benefits, while also creating the natural setting for Center Parcs’ high-quality family short breaks. Planting will gather pace over the coming months, with more than 30 species of trees and plants – including Scots pine, silver birch and aspen – planned for the site ahead of the main development phase. The trees have been grown in Scotland, using seed gathered from across the Scottish Borders, with the contract for supplying the trees being awarded to Alba Trees. The tree-planting, led by pupils from Trinity Primary School and Stirches Primary School, took place ahead of a community drop-in meeting at Hawick Town Hall – the first since planning permission for the development was granted by Scottish Borders Council in December.