Any experience of Centre Parcs?

[Desiderata]

Centre Parcs have just announced plans for their first venture in Scotland. It happens to be quite near to me in a fairly rural part of the Scottish Borders. It will hopefully boost the flagging local economy but I was wondering how much the holidaymakers interact with local businesses and services.
If anyone is near to an existing Centre Parcs, what effect does it have on the surrounding area?

[toon10]

Desiderata said:

Centre Parcs have just announced plans for their first venture in Scotland. It happens to be quite near to me in a fairly rural part of the Scottish Borders. It will hopefully boost the flagging local economy but I was wondering how much the holidaymakers interact with local businesses and services.
If anyone is near to an existing Centre Parcs, what effect does it have on the surrounding area?

I was at the Penrith one last week for half term. I doubt it would make much difference to the local economy. They are specifically designed to get you on site and keep you there. Gates open at 10am so people go early to make use of the facilities even know you can't get to your lodge until 4pm! Once on site, it's security gates and a long driveway to get back out again. They have pretty much everything on site to stop you going anywhere. Grocery shopping, other shops, entertainment, bike hire, etc.

Even when we had to leave the lodge at 10am on the Friday, they tell you that your tag will work until midnight, so people stay on site, use the pool and restaurants, etc. and leave when they're ready to get straight home.

[FMOB]

Expensive normally, really expensive at peak times.

[Martyn76]

Jobs for the local community?

[Muzzer79]

Desiderata said:

If anyone is near to an existing Centre Parcs, what effect does it have on the surrounding area?

I live 18 miles away from one.

To be completely honest, if I hadn't been to it you would never know it was there.

If you want to go to CP then you go to CP. It's very self-contained so doesn't affect the surrounding area, IME.

[Mammasaid]

toon10 said:

Desiderata said:

Centre Parcs have just announced plans for their first venture in Scotland. It happens to be quite near to me in a fairly rural part of the Scottish Borders. It will hopefully boost the flagging local economy but I was wondering how much the holidaymakers interact with local businesses and services.
If anyone is near to an existing Centre Parcs, what effect does it have on the surrounding area?

I was at the Penrith one last week for half term. I doubt it would make much difference to the local economy. They are specifically designed to get you on site and keep you there. Gates open at 10am so people go early to make use of the facilities even know you can't get to your lodge until 4pm! Once on site, it's security gates and a long driveway to get back out again. They have pretty much everything on site to stop you going anywhere. Grocery shopping, other shops, entertainment, bike hire, etc.

Even when we had to leave the lodge at 10am on the Friday, they tell you that your tag will work until midnight, so people stay on site, use the pool and restaurants, etc. and leave when they're ready to get straight home.

It's one of the largest employers in the area, albeit mostly low paid NMW jobs, however there are many who work there who enjoy it. They run a staff bus service from the local towns to help as public transport is non existent.

Their aim is to keep a captive audience, so the punters arrive, are boxed in for 3,4 days, then are kicked out to go home.

[boyse7en]

I used to go to the Longleat one every year.

We would arrive, spend the day in the pool, then unload the car, kids and gf into the chalet and i would take the now empty car to the big Asda about 5 miles away to buy the week's worth of groceries so that we didn't have to buy much from the hideously overpriced shop on site.

Other than that we never left the compound.


Apart from the cleaners and maintenance staff employed from the local area, I doubt it will have any meaningful impact on local businesses or visitor numbers. The nearest petrol station will probably do well as people fill up before heading home

[Bonefish Blues]

boyse7en said:

I used to go to the Longleat one every year.

We would arrive, spend the day in the pool, then unload the car, kids and gf into the chalet and i would take the now empty car to the big Asda about 5 miles away to buy the week's worth of groceries so that we didn't have to buy much from the hideously overpriced shop on site.

Other than that we never left the compound.


Apart from the cleaners and maintenance staff employed from the local area, I doubt it will have any meaningful impact on local businesses or visitor numbers. The nearest petrol station will probably do well as people fill up before heading home

This would be representative of 95% of visits, I expect - certainly ours.

[JQ]

toon10 said:

Desiderata said:

Centre Parcs have just announced plans for their first venture in Scotland. It happens to be quite near to me in a fairly rural part of the Scottish Borders. It will hopefully boost the flagging local economy but I was wondering how much the holidaymakers interact with local businesses and services.
If anyone is near to an existing Centre Parcs, what effect does it have on the surrounding area?

I was at the Penrith one last week for half term. I doubt it would make much difference to the local economy. They are specifically designed to get you on site and keep you there. Gates open at 10am so people go early to make use of the facilities even know you can't get to your lodge until 4pm! Once on site, it's security gates and a long driveway to get back out again. They have pretty much everything on site to stop you going anywhere. Grocery shopping, other shops, entertainment, bike hire, etc.

Even when we had to leave the lodge at 10am on the Friday, they tell you that your tag will work until midnight, so people stay on site, use the pool and restaurants, etc. and leave when they're ready to get straight home.

This seems to be the perfect summary to me. The whole place is designed so you have absolutely no need or desire to leave. I can't imagine many people do leave during their stay.

As highlighted by others, it seems that benefits will derive from better job prospects for the local population and I guess it's that that you would be best trying to monetise.

[Rough101]

It’s local jobs plus they tend to use local trades for maintenance.

Will increase the turnover at the nearest supermarket, but it’s not the kind of place you leave, it’s so expensive that the breaks are short so you make the most of the in house facilities.

[Crudeoink]

I used to live local to the Longleat one and worked there too. Was great when I was younger (16-21 ish) and studying as they paid a pretty good wage at the time and meant I could take friends and family at reduced rates and come back during summer / christmas breaks from university and earn a bit of extra money. The business is built on it being self-sufficient, so local shops retail likely wont really benefit. The whole point is you park, unload the car and spend the week or weekend in the park using their onsite restaurants and activities. As previously mentioned lots of jobs for local people from shop keepers to land train drivers to life guards but the coffee shop 5 miles down the road probably wont see any difference

[Desiderata]

Martyn76 said:

Jobs for the local community?

I think this is going to be the main benefit. They are estimating 6 or 700 during the build phase and up to 1200 once it's open, it'll be the third biggest employer after the Council and NHS in the area.
Good news for me if it's pretty well self contained within the site, I like my peace and quiet.

[balise]

Heavy traffic on the change over days. Lots leaving in the AM to be replaced by another load in the PM.

[Dashnine]

balise said:

Heavy traffic on the change over days. Lots leaving in the AM to be replaced by another load in the PM.

^This. Stays are 3 or 4 days for a part week, or full week/s - changeovers on Mondays and Fridays.

[blue_haddock]

Local sex shop will need to increase stocks of anal lube.......

[alangla]

I passed the M6 junction at Penrith on the Monday lunchtime of the Scottish school half term. The queue for the exit was easily up to a mile long, I’d happily bet that 75% plus of that traffic was heading for Center Parcs Whinfell.

[brake fader]

when we stayed at the one in Ireland there were people going out to local eateries and using takeaways myself included, the food offered on site was a bit pricey for what it was. I'd say the local economy benefited from it.

[ecs]

I have a house near the Woburn Forest site. The insular nature of Center Parcs means that apart from providing jobs, it doesn't boost local business much. People go there to be shut into a compound for a few days; we did NYE there once they they were very supprised when wanted to go 'Off Park' to get a curry from the local takeaway.

[CraigyMc]

Desiderata said:

Centre Parcs have just announced plans for their first venture in Scotland. It happens to be quite near to me in a fairly rural part of the Scottish Borders. It will hopefully boost the flagging local economy but I was wondering how much the holidaymakers interact with local businesses and services.
If anyone is near to an existing Centre Parcs, what effect does it have on the surrounding area?

Nothing bad.
They hire a lot of locals as staff (think things like cleaning and whatnot).
Local shops see foot traffic from holidaymakers because a lot of the cabins have cooking facilities.

Centreparcs has direct equivalents on the continent so although there are only a few in the UK, it's a pretty well established model.

[snotrag]

The benefit is the jobs - they will need a lot of staff.

Centre Parcs customers will not be seen outside of Centre Parcs.

Thats sort of the point of the trip - everyone arrives at a fixed time, you park your car and then dont touch it till you all leave at the same time 3/5 days.