ScotWays is aware, and monitoring closely the progress, of the proposed Center Parcs holiday village development at Huntlaw Farm, Hassendean, near Hawick.
Officers of the Society attended a pre-application, community consultation event in Denholm Village Hall, on 26 March 2025, at which they held productive discussions with Center Parcs’ representatives and Ramblers’ Scotland on the specific issue of public access to the site post development. From their dialogue with Center Parcs’ staff, they gained an insight into the nature of the proposed holiday village and how it would operate.
Montagu Evans, as agent for Center Parcs Scotland Limited, submitted a planning application (reference 25/00888/FUL) for the proposed holiday village, associated facilities and infrastructure for the consideration of Scottish Borders Council on 4 July, 2025. ScotWays submitted a representation on the application on 26 August 2025, which proffered no objection in principle, but requested the Council impose various conditions designed to protect and enhance public access on any planning permission it might grant for the development. We also requested the Council consult ScotWays formally on any byelaws it proposes to make under S.12 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 governing public access to the proposed, enclosed holiday village area. Our representation is available to view on the Council’s on-line planning portal at:
https://eplanning.scotborders.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=SYV2L4NTMAC00 (search under Document Type/General Comment).
Currently, the planning application remains under consideration by the Council. However, a target date of 7 November 2025 has been set for the planning case officer to produce his report on the development, after which the application will be presented to the Council for determination.
On 21 August 2025, the Council agreed to commence the separate process of making Section 12 byelaws, the closing date for objections to which is 5 December 2025. Whilst we recommend concerned individuals each submit their own response to the proposed byelaws to both the Council (legal@scotborders.gov.uk) and the Scottish Government (Environment and Forestry Directorate, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh, EH6 6QQ or, by e-mail, to biodiversity@gov.scot), ScotWays is considering carefully the terms of its own response, with particular regard to the wider implications of the approval of byelaws for public access to other similar facilities and land across Scotland.
We shall update this page when there is any significant change to report in respect of the planning application or the proposed byelaws.