The latest information on the Caerlee Mill Bike Campus project being taking forward in Innerleithen.
We plan to provide key updates to ensure the community is kept fully informed on this exciting project.
Latest news
August 2026 - The Mountain Bike Innovation Centre site will now be known as the Caerlee Mill Bike Campus, which includes the new brand Bike Innovation Scotland.
The Caerlee Mill Bike Campus offers a destination where businesses, researchers, entrepreneurs and industry leaders will come together to develop new ideas, test cutting-edge products and shape the future of cycling.
Visit the Bike Innovation Scotland website to find out more.
22 July 2026 - Along with Edinburgh Napier University we have unveiled Bike Innovation Scotland– an ambitious new partnership designed to drive the growth of the nation’s cycling and mountain biking economy. Read more.
2 June 2026 - The project is progressing on time and on budget, with the groundworks and drainage works already completed by contractor Morrison Construction.
We are excited to see the steel frame now being erected which starts to show the final design and shape of the building.
With the building works well underway, there will be multiple announcements over the coming months, from exciting events through to the first tenants, ahead of the Centre opening. This is expected to be July 2027, at the same time as the Tour de France arrives in the Borders.
Anyone keen to find out more about using the space available in the Mountain Bike Innovation Centre, or tenancy enquiries, can email MTB@sose.scot.
20 March 2026 - Construction of the Mountain Bike Innovation Centre will begin on 23 March as the site of a former mill begins its transformation into a new world-leading facility in the Scottish Borders. Read more.
The latest community newsletter has also been issued to local residents. Read more.
23 February 2026 - The Borderlands Partnership Board has approved £15.5million of UK Government investment through the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal for the development of the Mountain Bike Innovation Centre and Trail Lab. More information is available here.
29 January 2026 - The Mountain Bike Innovation Centre's full business case was formally presented to Scottish Borders Council. Read more here.
18 December 2025 - The most recent newsletter has been shared with local residents to update them on the upcoming enabling works at Caerlee Mill. It is available to read here
4 November 2025 - An evening of workshops was held with the aim of helping shape the future of Mountain Biking in the Innerleithen and Walkerburn area of the Tweed Valley.
We hosted the event alongside:
- Scottish Borders Council
- Forestry and Land Scotland
- Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland
- Edinburgh Napier University
- Tweed Valley Trails Association.
The evening's agenda included an update on the Mountain Bike Innovation Centre and Bike Park, as well as three workshops which attendees will rotate around:
- Sustainable Community Trails - Forestry and Land Scotland, Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland and Tweed Valley Trails Association
- Mountain Bike Research and Mountain Bike Innovation Centre activities - South of Scotland Enterprise and Edinburgh Napier University
- Place Planning and Mountain Biking - Scottish Borders Council and South of Scotland Enterprise
Those attending were encouraged to provide their ideas to the workshops with the aim of partner organisations, mountain biking sector and the community working together to maximise the opportunities which mountain biking presents to Innerleithen and Walkerburn.
2 October 2025 - UK Government Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill has visited Innerleithen to mark the start of enabling works to turn a former mill site into a world-leading Mountain Bike Innovation Centre. Read more here.
25 September 2025 - the first community newsletter has been shared with neighbours to update them on the upcoming enabling works at Caerlee Mill. It is available to read here.
17 September 2025 - Ahead of the start of the demolition and enabling works beginning at Caerlee Mill site, a local residents meeting was held on Thursday 25 September at 6pm to 7pm in the Memorial Hall, Innerleithen to provide more details on the works.
We led the meeting alongside main contractor Morrison Construction.
3 September 2025 - The timetable for the new Mountain Bike Innovation Centre was shared, after exciting new plans were approved for the facility.
A planning application submitted in June for the new Centre at Caerlee Mill in Innerleithen was given the green light by Scottish Borders Council on Wednesday 3 September.
The demolition and enabling works are due to begin in October 2025, which will be led by delivery partner Hub South East Scotland and its main contractor Morrison Construction, which will undertake all building works.
Construction of the new building is then due to start in March 2026, with the aim for the new Mountain Bike Innovation Centre to open its doors in 2027.
More details here.
FAQs
Caerlee Mill Bike Campus will support Scottish, UK and international companies to develop innovative products and services and train and test athletes within the mountain biking and wider cycling sector.
It is being taken forward by South of Scotland Enterprise with support from Scottish Borders Council and Edinburgh Napier University.
The Centre will focus on research and development and offer a place for businesses - both local and international – to showcase their innovative products in the heart of the UK’s leading mountain bike destination.
The project will also host academics and research by Edinburgh Napier University across the cycling sector.
The Centre will include:
- Bike engineering
- Workshop space
- Brand experience units
- Events space
- Offices
- Meeting rooms
- Teaching space.
The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal was signed in March 2021.
The £350million investment in the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal, from the UK and Scottish Governments, is made up of £150million for Scotland (£85million from the Scottish Government and £65million from the UK Government) and up to £200million for England from the UK Government. This will be supported by over £100million of funding from local partners.
There will be a series of benefits for the Scottish Borders.
The Campus is projected to generate £86 million in Gross Value Added and over 225 jobs in the South of Scotland over ten years, with a potential additional of UK Government funding for the Tweed Valley Adventure Bike Park, which would add significant benefits.
Caerlee Mill Bike Campus and Trail Lab will be funded by a £15.5million investment from the UK Government as part of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.
The funding was approved in February 2026.
We have committed up to £5.4m of capital funding. However this is not expecting to spent in full.
This is due to expected lower costs of creating a new centre.
The Caerlee Mill Bike Campus is progressing on time and on budget.
The groundworks and drainage works are already completed.
We are excited to see that the steel frame is now in place, which starts to show the final design and shape of the building.
With the building works well underway, there will be multiple announcements over the coming months, from exciting events through to the first tenants, ahead of the Campus opening, which is expected to be July 2027.
Caerlee Mill Bike Campus received Borderlands funding in February 2026.
Once the funding is secured, the project must spend the funds by the end of March 2031.
Construction of the new building is well underway, with the aim for the new Caerlee Mill Bike Campus opening its doors in summer 2027.
The revised proposals have been agreed following public meetings on 23 September and 5 December 2024 and a community survey, with demolition of the mill and construction of a new Campus in its place being the most popular of the available options.
We continue to proactively play a role in community events such as the November 2025 discussing the future of mountain biking in the region.
We are proposing to retain the two traditional whinstone outbuildings and the chimney.
While we could use the entire site for the Caerlee Mill Bike Campus, the small engine shed nearest the road had only been earmarked as storage on the future site.
As a result, if any community group can present a viable, sustainable higher value use for this building that ideally includes the site’s heritage, then we will consider this alternative use and likely support this.
We have been showing local councillors and community groups around the engine shed to let them see the space which is available.
We carried out appropriate surveys during the 12 months before our purchase of Caerlee Mill.
However, it was only once the site was purchased, and after thorough and intrusive building investigations were carried out, that we were was able to find out the full extent of the structural issues.
Plans for the Bike Park are being developed by a commercial partner so we cannot comment on their behalf at this stage.
However, we have earmarked at least £4million of grant funding towards the private sector Bike Park operator.
Contact us
- If you have any questions on the Caerlee Mill Bike Campus which are not answered on this page, or would like to enquire about tenancy opportunities at the Campus, please email mtb@sose.scot.
- For any enquiries regarding cycling industry support please also email mtb@sose.scot
- For research or innovation services in the sector please email our partners at Edinburgh Napier University - mtb@napier.ac.uk
- Visit Bike Innovation Scotland website for more details on the services to be provided at the Campus
- Any questions regarding the construction works at Caerlee Mill site - phone 0141 557 6500 or email MBICnewbuild@morrisonconstruction.co.uk
- Should any neighbours have a concern with the Caerlee Mill site, they can phone our Ettrick Riverside office on 01750 505 000 during office hours, or if an emergency and out of office hours, phone 01480 484 352.