Holiday park firm pumps £2.5m into Scottish sites

● Forms part of overall £42m UK investment drive ● Group has eight parks in Scotland and 72 Uk-wide

Parkdean Resorts has outlined a major investment in its UK holiday parks with £2.5 million being spent in Scotland ahead of the 2018 season.

A total of £450,000 will add caravan, touring and camping pitches to Nairn Lochloy in Inverness to help meet increased demand for holidays and ownership opportunities.

The park is also set to receive a new shower block for touring and camping guests, as well as an outdoor children’s play area. Nearby public toilet facilities owned by the local council are also being renovated.

Elsewhere north of the Border, £150,000 will revamp the bar and restaurant at Grannie’s Heilan’ Hame in Sutherland for dining and socialising, while Sundrum Castle in Ayrshire is receiving an arcade refresh and new reception area.

The work comes as part of a wider investment of £42m across the business this year, following a record £50m worth of upgrades in 2017. It takes Parkdean Resorts’ investment total to £130m since 2016, and the business now has 72 per cent double glazed and central heated caravans due to an increase of about 1,450 units in the last three years.

Due to demand and new accommodation, more parks were open for the February half-term holiday than ever before. A total of 27 sites, eight more than the previous year, welcomed 2018’s first holidaymakers.

John Waterworth, chief executive at Parkdean Resorts, said: “This year our £42m investment plans really show our commitment to continually developing our parks. In 2018 we have a focus on bringing in new caravans and lodges to follow the growth in consumer demand.

“We also regularly collect guest feedback, and from this made the decision to introduce more one and four-bedroom models.

“As we look ahead to peak season, work is under way at the majority of our parks to boost their offering.”

The firm is the largest holiday park operator in the UK with 72 parks, following the merger of Parkdean Holidays and Park Resorts in 2015.

New lodges including a variety of four-bedroom models are set to be added to a range of parks offering wider choice following a £1.3m investment.

The 20 new four-bedroom lodges boast features designed around “comfort and style”, such as patio doors leading out onto verandas, bigger bathrooms and spacious dining areas. The Glasgow Distillery Company is launching its first single malt Scotch whisky in a move it said marks the start of a renaissance for the spirit in the area. The firm, the first independent single malt distillery to open in the city since 1902 and which also produces Makar Gin, has unveiled 1770 Glasgow Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The name is a nod to the year the original Glasgow Distillery was founded and the spirit is offered in a limited-edition run allocated by ballot.