Glentress Peel
 Forestry Commission Scotland's (FCS) new visitor facility at Glentress, to be known as the Glentress Peel, has received planning approval and we are delighted to confirm that work has now started at the site.
We secured our licence from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) to drain the two ponds at the entrance to the site and at the same time put in a temporary bailey bridge to provide access for construction traffic. The pond work was completed by the end of October 07 to ensure that we did not cause any problems with polluting the nearby River Tweed and damaging the local ecology. Had we not been able to do this, the rest of the programme might have been delayed. The pictures on the right show the extent of the works.  Early in 2008 we tendered the two main civil engineering and building contracts, and the design team will evaluating the results of the tender exercise over Summer 08.
About GlentressGlentress Forest lies at the heart of the Tweed Valley Forest Park (TVFP). It is aiming to become centre of excellence for mountain biking as well as offering quality facilities and opportunities for other users. The forest is already the biggest tourist attraction in the Scottish Borders, with 300,000 visitors a year and increasing. To cope with this demand and to provide modern facilities, FCS is proposing a total revamp of the current visitor facilities at Glentress. Our plans have been developed after extensive research and consultation into the best way to provide visitors to the TVFP with a range of high quality services. Why “Glentress Peel?”In the south of Scotland, the word ‘peel’ is often used to describe a fortified tower or house and its boundaries. In the new development's case, the tower is represented by a recently purchased house on the hill above the entrance to the forest, with the rest of the proposed visitor buildings being reflections of the service buildings historically found within a peel boundary. See the architects' plans. What are the plans?The Peel will be located above the entrance to the forest, opposite the existing Osprey car park. As the architects' plans show, FCS intends to convert the former house on the site into a stunning new centre which can be used for a range of purposes, including: - Wildlife viewing - it will house the popular Osprey Watch
- Meeting facilities
- Office accommodation for rangers
- A viewpoint out over the forest.
An innovative feature of the design will be a glazed panel from the floor to the roof, which will extend out over a forest viewing platform. Three new buildings Locally-sourced timber will be used to create the structures for three new buildings: a café, a bike hire outlet, and an orientation point which will also house the new shower, toilet and changing facilities. The orientation point will be a meeting place providing information on the activities on offer at Glentress, other FCS sites in the Tweed Valley, and further afield. We are also expanding the car park, and by developing an exciting interpretative plan will help bring the whole site to life for all of our visitors. We feel the innovative nature of the centre will justify a visit in its own right.  You can view the approved plans and architects' drawings in PDF format. You'll need Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader to view them. If you don't already have it, you can download Acrobat Reader to your computer from the Adobe website.
The vision for the projectOur vision is that the TVFP should be recognised as a centre of excellence for active outdoor recreation in attractive forests and a source of pride for local communities. Glentress Peel will be a showcase for FCS, serving the needs of visitors to the Forest Park. It will be developed along three guiding principles: - To provide visitors to the Tweed Valley with a memorable experience and high quality services
- To be designed and built on sustainable principles
- To demonstrate good practice in the use of timber, where possible using timber grown locally.
What happens now and when will Glentress Peel open?Expressions of interest have been received from suitably qualified contractors, and from these FCS has selected a number of firms who will shortly be invited to tender for two main pieces of work. The first is the civil engineering works, which include building new access roads and car parks as well as the installation of services. The second contract will be for the main building works. FCS is also in discussion with Scottish Borders Enterprise and Sport Scotland over funding opportunities for this exciting project.
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