Central Scotland Green Network Officially Launched
02 October 2009
Greenspace project "biggest in Europe" says Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham
An ambitious new greenspace project, the biggest of its kind in Europe, will see the central belt of Scotland transformed into a more attractive place to live and do business.
The Central Scotland Green Network will deliver a step change in the environment of the region - benefiting over three million people found in the project's boundary, an area four times the size of Greater London.
With a substantial increase in woodland cover and improvements to greenspace and outdoor recreation, the aim is to improve landscape settings for towns and cities, including bringing back to life the area's post-industrial legacy of derelict and vacant land.
Announcing the new greenspace initiative at the Green Networks: Potential For Central Scotland conference in Bathgate on Wednesday 30th September, the Minister said:
"This initiative has the potential to deliver real change for the people of Scotland's most populated area.
"The project will not only help to improve the environment and health of local people, it will also give the central belt a key competitive edge in terms of business.
"We know that high value, hi-tech businesses are attracted to high quality environments and we believe delivering the green network will help attract new business - particularly important in a time of economic recovery.
"If it is to work, the Green Network will require effective partnership working between a wide range of players. For this reason I am setting up a new Partnership Board to take forward the Green Network and I have asked for a work plan to be produced by the end of the year which maps out how the project will be delivered."
Some key outputs for the initiative, which stretches from Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Dunbartonshire in the west through to Fife and East Lothian in the east, will be:
- A significant increase in woodland expansion to further "green up" the area, boost recreation opportunities and contribute to climate change reduction;
- Improved networks for cycling and walking, encouraging more "active travel" to work and school which will also reduce carbon footprints;
- Building a strategic network of priority habitats which will improve biodiversity and protect many species;
- Restoring vacant and derelict land with aim of regenerating and restoring it to attractive landscapes for a range of uses, including new business.
Bob McIntosh, Director of Forestry Commission Scotland added:
"For the past five years the Commission has undertaken a concerted effort to make woodlands more accessible to people living in urban areas. As a result, new urban woodlands have been developed and thousands of hectares of neglected woodlands have been brought back to life through our Woods In and Around Towns programme. Now people are enjoying the benefits that urban woodlands can bring.
"This new partnership initiative will take all this work to an unprecedented level and has the potential to revitalise the central belt into a vibrant, thriving green oasis."
The project is one of 14 ‘national developments' designated in the Scottish Government's 2nd National Planning Framework. The 19 local authorities covered by the network will now begin work to incorporate the project's aims into their development plans.
Roddy Fairley from Scottish Natural Heritage is chairing the Central Scotland Green Network interim steering group. He said:
"We very much welcome the determination to deliver the Central Scotland Green Network. This builds on a lot of work over many years and must be great news for lots of people.
"The environment close to where we live is vital. It is where our children are brought up. Its quality is critical to our economic future and the wellbeing of our communities. This new drive provides an opportunity for all parts of government to work together and re-double efforts to develop and safeguard a resilient environment that works for us across the whole of the central belt."
