Green Infrastructure Project Update - Cuningar Loop Phase 2

Grantee: Clyde Gateway

What we are going to do

The Cuningar Loop phase 2 area is currently inaccessible and overgrown. We are going to provide access into this 7.67 hectare natural location opening out views of the River Clyde and building upon the success of the existing urban woodland project delivered by Forest Enterprise Scotland at Cuningar Loop. The project builds upon the success of this natural attraction and will provide further active and healthy recreational opportunities for all users and visitors.

The project will provide additional woodland walkways including an riverside boardwalks; further seating/picnic areas, interpretation points and river viewpoints; areas for wildflower planting and plants to encourage butterfly basking; an education zone; and a cycle storage area.

Where the idea for the project came from

Cuningar Loop over the years has been used as a site for landfill and its natural regeneration and poor condition makes it completely inaccessible to the surrounding local communities. In a bid to enable access, the initial project was developed as a partnership involving CG, Forestry Commission Scotland (now Forest and Land Scotland (FLS)), South Lanarkshire Council and the surrounding local communities, and ongoing interaction with these stakeholders developed the proposals into what they now are and with a vision for legacy beyond the GIF investment period.

How the community has helped us develop our ideas

The community performed a fundamental role in the development of the ideas for the park and in the direction of CG’s investment and aspirations which continue to promote green infrastructure, and connections between communities and areas of work and recreation. Through consultation the local communities have provided opinions and advice on what should be provided and what types of facilities would prove to be popular with users and visitors to the park.

How our project fits into the bigger picture

This project is located at the geographical centre of the CG area and currently provides an urban woodland attraction in the heart of an urban area on the boundary of the River Clyde between South Lanarkshire and Glasgow. This project will extend the area covered and add further recreational opportunities to the existing woodland park. Cuningar Loop is currently on the vacant and derelict land register so the delivery of this project will remove the physical problem from the area whilst offering further opportunities for local communities and incoming visitors to improve their health and wellbeing. This will contribute to the long term and sustainable regeneration of the CG area of which the Farme Cross and Cuningar communities are an integral part.