Center Parcs to expand into Ireland with £146m new holiday village

Holiday village operator Center Parcs UK is set to expand into Ireland following an agreement to acquire a 375 acre woodland site in County Longford.

The €200m (£146m) development, which will open in 2019 subject to receiving planning permission, will have capacity for up to 2,500 guests and employ around 1,000 people in permanent jobs.

Once open, the holiday village is expected to pump around €32m (£23m) into the Irish economy.

The sale of the land to Center Parcs UK by the state forestry company Coillte follows the recent news that the business is expected to be sold or floated on the stock market by its American owner Blackstone later this year.

Martin Dalby, chief executive of Center Parcs, said the company is "thrilled and excited" to introduce the concept to families in Ireland. "This new Center Parcs will have all of the ingredients that have made us so popular with families in the UK for the past 28 years and I am certain that Center Parcs will be a great success in Longford."

The Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny added: "Center Parcs will provide a massive boost to the area and contribute significantly to the local and regional economy. This project is a perfect fit with our recently announced Tourism Policy Statement which aims to create 50,000 new jobs by 2025.

Located near to Ballymahon, the holiday village will become the first overseas site for Center Parcs UK, which currently operates at five locations: Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire; Elveden Forest, Suffolk; Longleat Forest, Wiltshire; Whinfell Forest, Cumbria and Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire.

Center Parcs UK is a separate entity form Center Parcs Europe, which operates in France, Holland, Belgium and Germany.

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