There is a genuinely exciting development taking shape in the Scottish Borders, and for once it involves actual investment rather than just talk. The Borderlands Partnership Board has approved £15.5 million in UK Government funding for a Mountain Bike Innovation Centre and Trail Lab at the former Caerlee Mill site in Innerleithen. Construction begins this spring, with the centre expected to open in 2027.
The original plans to refurbish Caerlee Mill were abandoned when costs proved too great, and the building has since been demolished to make way for the new centre. The project is being led by South of Scotland Enterprise in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and Scottish Borders Council, and the ambition is significant: a multi million pound boost and more than 225 jobs in southern Scotland over the next decade.
Councillor Euan Jardine, leader of Scottish Borders Council, said the centre will “not only create a global hub for innovation, research and enterprise rooted in the Borders, but also help to attract talent, support new businesses and grow skilled jobs.”
Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill confirmed that the full project is backed by £19 million in UK Government funding. “Opening for business in 2027, the full project is bringing jobs and investment to the region and will attract riders from across the country and beyond to a world class facility,” she said.
The Borders has long been one of the best places in Britain for mountain biking. Innerleithen, Glentress, and the surrounding Tweed Valley trails already attract thousands of riders every year. What this centre promises is to turn that existing reputation into something with genuine economic substance: research, development, innovation, and job creation. That is exactly the kind of investment the south of Scotland needs, and it is good to see it finally moving from planning into construction.