Recently it was revealed that The Hub at Glentress Forest had failed in its bid to be a part of the Forestry Commissions plans to develop a £9million centre, sending shockwaves through the mountain bike community.

Run by two former mountain bike champions, Emma Guy and Tracey Brunger, for the past ten years offering bike hire, coaching and a café, they’ve contributed towards the trail centre being one of the most successful in the country.

However the Forestry Commission wants to spend £9million on a new visitor centre, Glentress Peel, planned for opening in 2011. The Hub was unsuccessful with their bid, not making it through to the final stages of the tendering process.

Here, the FC discusses the widespread concerns with the tendering process:

“Glentress has grown massively in popularity – from 90,000 visitors 10 years ago, now rapidly heading towards 300,000 visitors per year.  It is the flagship of the much more extensive 7stanes project stretching across South Scotland.  There are many that have contributed to this success.  Forestry Commission Scotland manages the forest, has built the trails and associated infrastructure, and looks after the trails and their users.  Many volunteers such as those with the Glentress Trail Fairies and the Tweed Valley Osprey project have contributed freely. A wide range of organisations have provided funding contributions.  The Hub has also been an important part of the Glentress story over the last nine years.

“The new Glentress Peel has been designed to cope with this massive growth in popularity. All the new facilities are state of the art and geared for managing a large number of visitors to the forest.  This includes improved traffic management, additional car parking, better toilet and shower facilities, a new larger café and bike shop, improved wildlife viewing facilities, interpretation centre, and a base for the staff that keep Glentress running. In the long run, we hope the success of the site will generate opportunities for other businesses to provide a wider variety of visitor services. The development will further increase the area’s standing as a top destination, bringing increased economic benefit to the Tweed Valley and more widely in South Scotland.

“Many businesses have expressed interest in operating from these fantastic new facilities. 

“In line with all public services, Forestry Commission Scotland has followed best practice in making the opportunity available to all and by running a fair and objective evaluation process without favouritism, in this case involving independent verification.  This is to ensure that the services will be of the quality and scale needed.  It is also to secure a good financial contribution to the £250,000 annual cost of maintaining the trails at Glentress and the wider 7stanes network, and so reduce the cost that falls to the taxpayer.

“Nine years ago The Hub secured a five-year lease through a similar open tender process. 

“This was extended to cover the period to completion of the new facilities.  I understand your disappointment that the Hub was not successful in the recent tender.  However, I hope you can recognise that it would not be acceptable for a public body like Forestry Commission Scotland to reject other stronger bids for provision of services in the new facilities.

“The tendering process is still running through its final stages, but I hope that we can announce the preferred bidder by 12 January 2011.”

More at www.forestry.gov.uk/glentress