Innerleithen’s long-awaited mountain bike innovation centre could look something like this, after the Scottish Government applied to demolish the existing derelict textile mill and build something new in its place following spiralling costs.

If you’re wondering why it looks like something from the Industrial Revolution though, that’s because the new development, which is still in its very early design stages, could incorporate elements of the historic Caerlee Mill too. That would probably include its chimney, entrance shed and boiler house, twinning it with an entirely new structure on the existing site.

The new mountain bike innovation centre looks to put riders, researchers and bike brands into the same building

Last year I reported how Scotland’s mountain bike centre won’t be housed at Caerlee Mill, after costs ballooned following the discovery of serious structural problems at the Grade II listed mill. South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE), which is developing the project, said the best way forward would be to knock the existing structure down and start again, as the estimated costs had approached £30million, nearly a third more than the original £19 million budget.

“We had a community meeting where we said we can’t afford to restore the building,” Paul Cathrow from SOSE said. “The options were, try and find the money, which looked very unlikely, build on a greenfield site, or apply for demolition and build something new on the Caerlee Mill site.”

Paul explained that the community voted to demolish and rebuild. The mountain bike innovation centre is too important a project for Innerleithen to lose, and the community recognises this, he said. The idea is to bring mountain bike development, testing, athlete training and new products into a single site, and cement the Borders town as an international mountain bike location.

The latest estimated cost to demolish the existing Caerlee Mill and develop a new Mountain Bike Innovation Centre will be around £16.4 million.

The new design pays homage to the mill’s historic past, but will of course be more efficient and give better access to its users

The new Caerlee Mill proposals

At present the plans are early concept drawings, and we can expect the final design to change. However, according to the demolition application it looks like some of the site’s existing structures can be saved.

“We are looking to retain the chimney, entrance shed and boiler house, and the perimeter wall,” Paul Cathrow agreed. The old mill’s lade or millrun will also be kept as it is, with the stream that once powered textile production still flowing past the modern structure.

Innerleithen is going places, investment like this is hoped will cement the town as a pioneering mountain bike destination

From the look of the plans the new structure will be two stories, lower than the existing structure, and set back from the perimeter too, meaning it’ll be less imposing on its neighbours.

“The new building being designed isn’t a replica, we’re not trying to do a pastiche of the old mill or a mock mill,” Paul says. “But it’ll be sympathetic to it, the look and feel will remain. This is our pathway, but we are respectful of the building and sad to see it go.”

Why does Innerleithen need a mountain bike innovation centre?

It’s hard to argue against the idea that Scotland is leading the way when it comes to promoting mountain biking. At last year’s Scottish Mountain Bike Conference we learned that the country boasts over 5,000km of singletrack, proportionately far more than the other UK nations when population is taken into account. The combination of better funding, governmental help, the sheer number of people using the land and its topography make mountain biking punch above its weight in Scotland, and it’s hoped the proposed innovation centre will add to that mix.

The project is being run by SOSE with support from Scottish Borders Council, and Napier University is involved too. The idea is to help create hundreds of jobs in the region over 10 years, and raise £138 million.

What happened to the original plans to save the structure?

In 2023, the local council gave plans to redevelop the mill the go ahead. The plan was and still is to bring together mountain bike development, testing, athlete training and new products into a single site. The budget was set at £19 million, and was to be paid for in Government grants.  It would also cement Inners as one of the UK’s most important mountain bike spaces, a location effectively saved by mountain biking itself. By 2024, things had fallen apart though, surveys showed 80% of the building would need to be replaced, something that couldn’t be spotted until the building had been stabilised.

When will we see the new Caerlee Mill?

Demolition is expected to start this autumn, with construction beginning early in 2026. That’s assuming planing approvals for both stages get the green light.