Glasgow and Edinburgh in top three greenest UK cities

Edinburgh and Glasgow are in the top three most eco-friendly cities in the UK, according to a new survey.

Glasgow has been named one of the top three eco-friendly cities in the UK because of its large amount of green space and low energy consumption

The findings show the Scottish capital leads the field when it comes to green space, which covers nearly half of its entire area.

Glasgow is not far behind, with almost a third of land devoted to parks and gardens.

Edinburgh can also boast one of the highest recycling rates across Britain, coming a close second only to Bristol.

Scotland’s largest metropolis loses points on dealing with waste, sitting just ahead of Birmingham at the bottom of the league.

The results come from a study for property buying firm Good Move that compares and rates the 10 biggest cities in the UK, based on green space, recycling rates, carbon emissions, energy consumption and the number of seats held by the Green Party.

The cities featured in the study are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Greater London, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Bradford and Liverpool.

Bristol came out as the overall winner, with Edinburgh in second place and Glasgow third.

Greater London completes the top four.

Edinburgh claimed the largest amount of green space, with 49 per cent, compared to 32 per cent in Glasgow.

Glasgow came out as a front runner with regard to energy usage, with the lowest domestic gas consumption after London.

London scored best for its impact on climate change, with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions.

Edinburgh comes in third-equal with Liverpool, while Glasgow is near the bottom of the table.

Only Leeds and Birmingham reported higher levels.

Property experts say good quality of life and progressive environmental ethos are helping put Scottish cities on the map.

Ross Counsell, director of Good Move, said: “As is abundantly clear from our research and others’, Scotland is well establishing itself on the world stage as a highly desirable place to live.

“With average house prices almost £100,000 cheaper than in England, and with world-class universities in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the country offers great life opportunities for the environmentally conscious future generations.”

There are just under 500,000 people living in Edinburgh, while Glasgow’s population is around double that figure.

According to the latest figures from the Hometrack UK cities house price index, the average cost of a home in Edinburgh stands at £206,200, while in Glasgow it is £115,800.