First contractors appointed for Scottish Center Parcs

The first contractors have been appointed for the construction of a £450m Center Parcs holiday village near Hawick in the Scottish Borders.

DE Fencing, based in St Boswells in the Borders, has secured a six-figure contract to supply and install fencing required during the building work.

Scottish construction firm RJ McLeod has also been appointed to carry out enabling work - including the creation of a 1.5 mile (2.5km) access road which will be used by construction traffic before becoming the village's main route for visitors.

Center Parcs chief executive Colin McKinlay said it had been clear from the outset that the project would "create opportunities for local and Scottish businesses".

DE Fencing owner, Scott Elliot, said it was delighted to be involved at such an early stage of a major project.

"As a business based in St Boswells, it is especially pleasing to be part of a development that local people are really excited about and will deliver a huge boost to the area for decades to come," he said.

"This is a significant contract for our business and we look forward to working with Center Parcs as the project progresses."

Jamie Corser, director of RJ McLeod, said it was pleased to be working on such an important project with such an "iconic client".

Work on the new entrance to Center Parcs from the A7 is expected to begin shortly and this will include local traffic management at the new junction.

Prior to this, there will be a temporary speed restriction in place to allow safe access to the site and free movement of road traffic.

The park will be the seventh Center Parcs 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.