SNH Green Infrastructure Fund Round 2 Awards

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is awarding £3 million to five projects which will improve local greenspace in some of the most deprived areas in Scotland. The SNH funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and once match funding from other sources is added will result in a total investment of £7.3 million.

Two of the five projects are in the core MGSDP area:-

Blairbeth Urban Park (South Lanarkshire Council)- Blairbeth Golf Club, to the south of the Castlemilk and Fernhill areas of Glasgow, closed in 2015, with the land reverting back to the Council. Without action, the site was at risk of becoming derelict through vandalism, fly-tipping and other anti-social behaviour. This project will turn the area into a new urban park, improving the biodiversity of the site, through landscaping, wildflower meadows, native tree corridors and a natural wetland, as well as encouraging community use through a new path network, natural play areas, allotments and engagement with local schools. The Total Project Cost is £871k of which the contribution from ERDF is £349k.

Halfway Community Park (Southside Housing Association, Glasgow)- This project will develop a new community park in a currently underused and poor-quality area of open space next to Moss Heights high-rise blocks in the Cardonald area of Glasgow. The project will improve biodiversity, provide space for active and passive recreation and improve public safety through landscaping, tree and shrub planting, construction of a community growing space, a green gym, a natural play area and removing cars from the area in front of the high rise flats. Total Project Cost is £2.2m of which the contribution from ERDF is £901k.

Glasgow City Council is working with Southside Housing Association to maximise the potential opportunity for surface water management as part of the Halfway Community Park greenspace intervention, linking with the Hillington / Cardonald Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP).

For more information visit the Green Infrastructure Fund website - http://www.greeninfrastructurescotland.org.uk/news/%C2%A373m-funding-new-green-infrastructure-projects-across-scotland

(Summer 2017 Newsletter)