Holiday park in ambitious expansion move

A SCOTTISH holiday park is completing a multimillion-pound expansion amid expectations the coronavirus crisis will trigger a boom in staycations and increased interest in country pursuits.

The owners of Westlands Country Park in Dumfries and

Galloway are more than doubling the number of lodges on the site and developing new facilities for guests, which will include a gun room.

The park near Annan already offers what it describes as first-class clay pigeon shooting. The site features a 140-feet shooting tower which is the biggest in Scotland.

The expansion programme also includes the development of a new restaurant and bar, and a country clothing shop.

It is expected to be followed by the park recruiting about 30 new staff members in coming months.

The programme is being completed with funding from HSBC bank, which provided a £3.7 million package.

The investment in the park signals confidence on the part of its owners and HSBC that the prospects for the business remain good, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Lockdown restrictions have meant that holiday parks in Scotland have been closed for most of the past year. Westlands Country Parks’ customer-facing staff are currently on furlough.

However, it is expected that there will be strong demand for holidays in Scotland when restrictions are eventually lifted, amid the challenges that people are likely to face when travelling overseas.

Brian Weatherley, managing director of Westlands Country Park, said: “We look forward to reopening again once it is safe to do so.”

The park forms part of the family-owned Border Caravans business which operates three other parks in the Scottish Borders.

The HSBC funding will support the addition of 46 lodges at Westlands Country Park, taking the total to 73.

The park also features 32 caravans.