Center Parcs confirms planned opening date of brand new location

Center Parcs has confirmed the planned opening date of its newest location as work began on the site.

First Minister of Scotland John Swinney, joined by Center Parcs' CEO Colin McKinlay and local youngsters, officially signalled that the work was underway by planting the first tree on the site. This marks the beginning of construction on the £450 million holiday park, which is set to create around 1,200 jobs in the Scottish Borders area.

John Swinney said: "It is a privilege to be here with local school children to start planting new trees for the site and I look forward to seeing the development of the project before the resort opens in 2029."

This confirms that the site is set to be open in 2029, meaning that fans of Center Parcs have a little longer to wait until they can book a lodge at the new park.

The tree planted by John Swinney was just the first of many plantings planned on the site. Center Parcs aim to create an entirely new forest with hundreds and thousands of trees that will mature and become a biodiversity hotspot in the coming decades. It's the first time the holiday park provider has attempted to plant a woodland from scratch.

The new woodland will be made up of several species of trees and other fauna, creating an area rich in biodiversity and full of wildlife.

Plans for Center Parcs Scottish Borders include 700 lodges and apartments, a Subtropical Swimming Paradise, similar to those seen in other parks, shops and restaurants in the village centre, and an Aqua Sana Forest Spa in the woodlands. A virtual fly-through and 3D images have revealed that many of the facilities will be set around the waterfront.

Manmade lochs will host a variety of water sports, while a Nature and Heritage Centre will include outdoor activities with a nature theme.

The holiday park will be the first for the brand since Longford Forest opened in Ireland back in 2019. It'll be located on the A7 trunk road between Hawick and Selkirk on a site of around 1,000 acres.

The site is about an hour and 15 minute drive from Edinburgh, or an hour and 45 minutes from Newcastle Upon Tyne. It will be Center Parcs' first new village since Longford Forest in Ireland opened in 2019.

Last year, plans were announced for an £87million expansion of Longford Forest to include 83 new lodges, including premium treehouse options with gaming dens and hot tubs.

A range of spacious 6-Bedroom Woodland Lodges for larger groups will also be added, ideal for larger groups or multigenerational holidays in the park. A new lakeside restaurant will also be added to Longford, as well as new activities such as an aerial zipline called Forest Glider. This was described as "a continuous-loop, gravity-fed ride".

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