Central Belt to be spruced up with new woodlands

Published on Tuesday 3 August 2010 18:32

HUNDREDS of thousands of pounds is to be spent on environmental projects to spruce up Scotland's Central Belt.

The six-figure package to be announced today will be used to develop woodland and create more wildlife habitats in cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow, with cash also going to surrounding areas.

Forestry Commission Scotland, which is in charge of the fund, said the 362,731 would make the country's Central Belt greener.

One of the big winners among the 17 projects getting a share of the cash is a scheme to tidy up woodland and encourage more wildlife at Edinburgh's Pentland Hills regional park.

Ian Whitehead, of the Lothian and Fife Green Network Partnership which is in charge of the park project, welcomed the 32,288 from the fund.

He said: "We are very pleased to be getting this money as we've put a lot of work into this.

"We want to make big changes to the woodlands and create more wildlife habitats and improve the site generally.

"There's tree planting and tidying-up to do in the area, which can involve dealing with trees that have fallen over."

Another scheme benefiting from the cash is a Glasgow City Council initiative to improve the appearance of the River Clyde running south from Glasgow Green at Polmadie Bridge to the Cunningar Loop. A city council spokesman said the 50,000 would help "improve access to a clean, safe and natural environment in the East End of the city."

There is also 15,000 for an RSPB Scotland project to encourage more wildlife habitats and improve the landscape along the inner Forth.

Zo Clelland, RSPB Scotland's senior conservation officer said: "We're delighted to have received this award as, it will play a key part in allowing us to take forward our exciting major landscape scale project on the Firth of Forth."

Scotland's Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said the cash from the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) development fund would transform the whole area.

She said: "The response to the CSGNs ambition has been fantastic and clearly the vision of transforming the area's natural, working and recreational environment has struck a chord.

"The range of projects is equally ambitious and each demonstrates the willingness of all of these agencies to roll up their sleeves and commit to the challenge of delivering a greener, stronger, healthier Central Belt."

Meanwhile, a further 23,050 is to go on funding a wide-ranging audit and survey about possible improvements to the Edinburgh Millennium Woodlands.

Keith Geddes, chair of the CSGN partnership board which administers the fund, said the grants would lead to major environmental improvements in the Central Belt.

He said: "They range from initiatives which will encourage local people to live active lifestyles through to projects that will make a major contribution to biodiversity and a greener central Scotland."

However, North-east Conservative MSP Alex Johnstone said the cash would have been better spent elsewhere.

He said: "In these difficult times I would have thought the Scottish Government would have higher priorities. This funding seems to be window-dressing that the government hasn't really made a case for."