Path could link two towns ahead of Center Parcs opening

6 hours ago

News image — The proposed active pathway would link Selkirk and Hawick

Richard Webb Someone on a bike cycling along a pathway next to the A7 in the Borders — The proposed active pathway would link Selkirk and Hawick

A path linking two Borders towns could be put "top of the agenda" before Scotland's first Center Parcs opens in the region.

Views are being sought on connecting Hawick and Selkirk with a £12m multi-use active travel pathway next to the A7.

An online consultation has been open since March and this week the plans were presented and discussed at an open meeting in Hawick.

Selkirkshire councillor Leagh Douglas said alternative travel methods would be needed once the holiday park opened and the new link should be a priority if the community supports the move.

Work started earlier this year on the £450m Center Parcs project near Hawick.

It will be their seventh village in the UK and Ireland but the first in Scotland.

It is hoped it can open by 2029 and create about 1,200 permanent jobs.

Douglas said she wanted as many people as possible to give feedback on the potential for the walking and cycling route linking the two towns which are about 11 miles (18km) apart.

A map showing the locations of Selkirk and Hawick and a new Center Parcs site

"I think there are quite mixed opinions," she said.

"There is talk about where is this route going to be. Will it run alongside the A7 or will it be more rural?

"I am really keen to get feedback from the community as to how this might benefit them and remind everyone Center Parcs is coming and that is going to impact our infrastructure and our travel routes."

There are already pathways in some sections of the route but other areas would need more work.

Center Parcs A computer generated image of a Center Parcs site with people wandering round a wooded area with stone buildings dotted around and hills in the background — It is hoped Scotland's first Center Parcs can open by 2029

However, Douglas said the scheme should be deliverable.

"I think every active travel path is difficult but that is where we just have to face up to the challenges and find a way round them if the community interest is there," she said.

"But undoubtedly there will be challenges."

She stressed that public input would be a key element in deciding whether to take any plans forward.

"The most important voices are the community and I urge everyone take a second to fill in the consultation and let us know what you think - be it positive or negative," she said.

"I would be pressing to have it in place before Center Parcs.

"I think - if the interest is there - we should keep pressing it to the top of the agenda."