Borders campaign group make fresh calls for railway extension

Campaigners are making fresh calls to extend the Borders Railway after plans for a new £400m holiday park near Hawick were revealed.
Center Parcs wants to build its first Scottish holiday village which aims to create more than 1,200 jobs.
Marion Short, Campaigner for Borders Rail, believes people from Hawick see a “correlation between the railway and this new development.”
She said: “From the campaign’s perspective we see closely aligned objectives between both of us because they talk about economic growth.
“We want the railway to encourage economic growth so therefore we should both work together to achieve this, not just for Hawick but for southern Scotland.
“It’s not just about bringing the tourists. If they’re talking about employing hundreds of people then we need the people who are working there to have an easier way of reaching their employment… it’s also the contractors at the very beginning and they’re talking about employing 800 people thereafter.”
The Borders Railway Group are calling for the train line to be extended between Tweedbank and Carlisle.
Stuart Marshall, an independent Councillor for Hawick and Denholm, says the proposals will be a boost for the local area.
He said: “Like every other town throughout the country we have a high street that has suffered badly. We have public conveniences that need to be looked at, electric charging points, better road and railway connectivity and bus links.
“Everything now needs to be in the mix, like my colleagues we are just so happy and we’ll roll up our sleeves and try and address those issues.”
The company will submit a planning application for 700 holiday lodges – located three miles north of Hawick – in 2025.
Earlier this month, Colin McKinlay, Chief Executive Officer of Center Parcs, said the plans will “transform leisure and tourism” in the Scottish Borders.
He added: “Many Scottish families already visit Center Parcs villages in England, and this village will offer the chance for people to enjoy their holidays closer to home, which in turn will benefit the local economy.”
This year both the UK and Scottish Government promised £5m towards a feasibility study for a potential railway extension.
Whilst the UK Government says the spending commitment is under review, the Scottish Government have doubled down on their decision to carry out the study.
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