Forget about New York: Scotland to get its own central park

EVERY home in central Scotland will be within 1,000 feet of a park or woodland and land used for allotments will rise threefold, under a new vision for the region in 2030.

The project – the largest of its kind in Europe – aims to dramatically increase the amount of green space in the area of Scotland that stretches from Ayrshire and Inverclyde in the west, to Fife and the Lothians in the east.

Among ten key ambitions of the new Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) – an initiative led for the Scottish Government by Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage – are to give every home access to "attractive, safe, and well-maintained green space or accessible countryside", and to boost the space devoted to allotments, orchards and community gardens.

Another aim is to increase the amount of woodland in central Scotland by 50 per cent and to create connected habitat "corridors" for wildlife. A consultation has been launched to gather views on the ideas.

Keith Geddes, chairman of CSGN, acknowledged the vision was ambitious, but said it could regenerate the region, which is home to 3.5 million people, two- thirds of Scotland's population.

"The Central Scotland Green Network is hugely ambitious in its aims, envisaged impact and the area it will cover," he said.

"We are seeking a transformation in environmental quality across the Central Belt. It will require the support and contribution of many organisations and individuals from the public, private and voluntary sectors."

The CGSN aims, through a mass green revamp, to:

• Attract new businesses by creating a high-quality setting in areas blighted by industrial decline.

• Increase life expectancy and wellbeing, especially in disadvantaged areas, by promoting more active and healthier lifestyles.

• Tackle climate change, with urban tree-planting helping to control extremes of temperatures, river and wetland restoration helping to alleviate flood risks, and new woodlands assisting the capture and storage of carbon.

A report, Central Scotland Green Network: Draft Vision and Work Plan, claims: "The legacy of mining, quarrying and traditional industries – and the long years of post-industrial decline – has left large tracts of the Central Scotland landscape in a degraded state."

It said this had an adverse impact on quality of life for many people, and the image of communities had a big impact on residents' economic prospects.

"Places with an air of neglect deter investors and home-owners; talented people move away to find more attractive places to live and work, and the income base falls," it said. "As a result, some communities slip into a cycle of decline and gaps in the quality of the environment in better-off and poorer neighbourhoods widen."

Almost a fifth of the region covered by the initiative is classed as severely deprived, and is home to 80 per cent of Scotland's vacant or derelict land.

The next step by CGSN, which has so far attracted 500,000 in government cash, will be to develop a funding and delivery strategy for 2010 to 2015. The consultation closes on 2 July.