The Center Parcs Borders Effect: A 5-Year Rental Forecast

Rent in the Borders • 28 Apr 2026

The Center Parcs Borders Effect: A 5-Year Rental Forecast

28 April 2026 · Rent in the Borders

Center Parcs Scottish Borders is the biggest inward investment the region has seen in living memory. Construction started in March 2026 and the resort is scheduled to open in summer 2029. Most coverage has focused on the headline numbers. This article does something different: it forecasts, year by year, what this will actually mean for landlords across the Borders between now and 2031.

The headline numbers

£450 million development on a 1,000-acre site between Hawick and Selkirk.
750–800 construction jobs sustained through the build phase (2026–2029).
1,200 permanent operational jobs from opening in 2029.
£30 million of Scottish Government infrastructure funding alongside.

Forecasts below are framed by our interpretation of the Center Parcs press releases, comparable data from Whinfell Forest (Cumbria) and Sherwood Forest, and the current Borders rental stock. Treat them as directional, not guaranteed.

Year-by-year forecast

2026 — trades-led demand, heavily weighted to Hawick

Roughly 750 construction roles, most of them trades (groundworks, framers, electricians, plumbers, finishers). Typical contractor stay is 8–16 weeks, with many working Monday to Friday and returning home at weekends. Demand is strongest for furnished, bills-included lets and rooms in shared houses — in towns with quick A68/A697 access to the site: Jedburgh, Kelso, St Boswells, Earlston, and above all Hawick itself. Asking rent tolerance is higher than the local baseline because employers often contribute to accommodation.

2027–2028 — broader, longer stays

Construction headcount peaks. Project management, site supervision, and supplier roles arrive on top of the trades. These workers stay longer — six to eighteen months — and their family and logistical needs broaden: 2- and 3-bed houses, school enquiries, long-term unfurnished lets. Expect demand to spread outward from Hawick toward Galashiels, Melrose, and Selkirk. Mid-2028 is likely to be the peak of construction-phase demand.

2029 — operational ramp-up begins

Center Parcs recruits for operational roles in waves, typically starting 6–9 months before opening. Management, hospitality leadership, F&B, spa therapists, grounds, and maintenance — roughly 1,200 jobs in total. Many will be recruited locally, but a meaningful minority will relocate. The first wave of operational renters moves in during Q2 2029. Most will commute initially, but the ~30% who relocate will generate sustained demand for 1–3 bed family homes within 30 minutes of the site.

2030 — the steady state begins

With construction over and the resort running, demand stabilises. A smaller proportion of operational staff will continue arriving as the business matures and existing staff move on. Supplier businesses open Borders-based premises to service the resort (cleaning contractors, linen, outdoor-gear retailers, food suppliers) — each bringing smaller waves of staff requiring local accommodation.

2031 — knock-on effects

Second-order consequences become visible: hospitality recruitment to support the visitor flow (estimated 1.5–2 million visitors per year), incremental tourism pressure on Eyemouth and Coldstream as second homes and short-term lets, and population growth in Hawick and Selkirk for the first time in decades. The rental market has restructured.

Property types most likely to benefit

Furnished, bills-included 1- and 2-bed flats in Hawick: the backbone of contractor demand through 2028. Premium of roughly 15–25% over unfurnished rents is sustainable through this window.
3- and 4-bed family homes within 30 minutes' drive of the site: the sweet spot for relocating operational staff from 2029. Demand lasts longest here.
Rooms in shared houses: sub-market for contractors sharing teams. Landlords achieving £300–£500 per room with bills included.
Rural cottages with proper broadband: for management roles willing to pay a premium for space and landscape.

The risk: short-term let conversions

Center Parcs brings tourist footfall. A predictable landlord response is to convert long-let properties to short-term lets targeting visitors — potentially reducing the long-let stock available at exactly the moment operational demand arrives. The Scottish Government's short-term let licensing regime, administered locally by Scottish Borders Council, requires a licence for any let under 6 months. That raises the bar but doesn't eliminate the pressure. For long-let landlords, the inflation story is good; for tenants already in the Borders, the supply squeeze is the worry.

What to do now if you're a Borders landlord

If you have a vacant or under-performing property near Hawick or Selkirk: furnish it and market it to contractors. The payback period for a basic furnishing refresh is one to two months in this market.
If you have a 3-bed family home within 30 minutes of the site: don't rush to sign a long fixed tenancy at 2025 prices. The 2029 wave will support meaningful rent uplift.
If you're considering acquiring Borders rental stock: the arithmetic looks best on 2-bed flats in Hawick and 3-bed houses in Selkirk/Galashiels. The entry prices are still modest by Scottish standards and demand is directional.
List where the audience is looking. National portals dilute you among 200,000+ listings. List your property on Rent in the Borders to be seen by tenants searching specifically for the area.