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A master plan for the whole forest area is to be developed which could include a new, showcase centre with top-notch facilities for MTBers, walkers, horseriders and other visitors to the forest.
The Commission has appointed a team of consultants, Gaia Architects, to help with the development of a master plan to be finalised by the end of September this year.
Steve Penny in Forestry Commission Scotland’s Borders office said that when the master plan starts to get under way, he’ll want input from all users, including mountain bikers:
"Everyone comments positively on the trails and the friendly, laid-back atmosphere at Glentress. In our opinion, the best way to make sure this continues is to get direct input and feedback from mountain bikers themselves.
"Once we begin working with our consultants to take forward the developments at Glentress we’ll want to make sure bikers are involved. In this way we’re sure that the forest will continue to be a mecca for mountain bikers."
Glentress is the flagship venue of the European Union-funded 7stanes project that is creating seven mountain-bike centres across the south of Scotland.
Forestry Commission Scotland is the single largest provider of outdoor recreation venues in Scotland.
