Green Infrastructure Project Updates

9 August 2022 - Good urban greenspaces serve nature and people equally well. Had you visited Fernbrae Meadows a few years ago you would have found yourself standing on a derelict golf course which was neither delivering for people or nature. How things change. Fast forward to 2022 and you find yourself in the midst of a fabulous urban park. In the intervening period thanks to funding including the Green Infrastructure Fund, an astonishing transformation has taken place.

19 July 2022 - Glasgow still enjoys an after-glow from hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games. One of many legacy projects to capture the affections of Glaswegians was the regeneration of the area around Cuningar Loop, home to a woodland park in a city that has always valued green spaces.

29 June 2022 - Sometimes it pays to have bold ambitions. Back in 2009 the local community around Toryglen began work with Urban Roots to manage Malls Mire woodlands. It was a partnership that thrived – by 2015 the site had gained Local Nature Reserve status – and they could have settled for that. But ambition had taken hold, and the next step was to transform the wider, near derelict site, into a community asset. A few weeks ago the stunning £3.3m Malls Mire Park opened, revealing a fantastic transformation.

21 June 2022 - It’s all very well and good to make plans, but sometimes in life you have to be prepared to change direction. That’s certainly been the case at Melfort Park, the site of the former St Eunan’s Primary School. When the old school was demolished the expectation was that new housing would rise from the rubble. However, the revelation that the site was contaminated and unsuitable for development forced a change of plan. And what a positive change it turned out to be.

29 September 2021 - Garnock Connections is a multi-layered project part-funded by the Green Infrastructure Community Engagement Fund. Looking after people’s well-being is just one strand in a suite of wonderful projects which bring biodiversity, cultural and physical activities together. Kate Cuthbert helps people explore the region on foot, and trains the next generation of walk leaders.

2 March 2022 - February in Glasgow. The skies were slate grey, it was decidedly chilly, and rain swept in regularly, yet nothing could take away from the sheer delight that is Claypits Local Nature Reserve. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this is an incredible transformation. Join Robert Alston on a tour of this site and you come away enthused with how people can really make a difference.

28 October 2021 - Adaica Rodriguez has certainly packed variety into her working life. From studying breeding seabirds on the Farne Isles, to dealing with consultations over protected areas and designated sites, she has enjoyed an interesting career. However, a stint working in Aberdeen on a Green Infrastructure site remains amongst her fondest memories.

12 October 2021 - Since the end of the Second World War it is reckoned that we have lost 97% of our wildflower meadows. As a result we are losing the joy of seeing an explosion of colour during the summer months, and leaving some of our most precious bees, and other pollinators short on food and habitat. Through the Garnock’s Buzzing project we aim to do our bit to change this and make the Garnock Connections landscape a haven for pollinators.

21 September 2021 - To spend time talking with Peter Livingstone is an uplifting experience. His enthusiasm for trees, planting and habitat creation is infectious. A passionate and highly-knowledgeable member of the team at the Eadha Enterprises, this specialist tree nursery has been a key component in the Garnock Connections project.

14 September 2021 - It is widely accepted that children who experience outdoor learning are likely to be healthier, happier and better motivated than those who are confined to indoor classrooms. But for outdoor learning to succeed you need good outdoor spaces and that’s where Scotland’s Green Infrastructure Fund comes in.