This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Funding for woodland expansion
07/11/2005
Glasgow and the Clyde Valley are set to receive £3 million as part of a major drive to use woodlands to improve the lives of people and regenerate the area.
The funding will be used to help expand woodlands on derelict land close to communities, improving wildlife habitats and supporting business opportunities for the forestry industry.
Wooded areas can provide greater opportunities for healthy exercise and could help in the battle against poor health, suffered by many people in the Glasgow and Clyde Valley area. Statistics show that there are areas of Glasgow where the life expectancy is 10 years less than the national average.
A better and greener environment created by more woodland can also help attract new investment to a region, a major factor in helping to regenerate an area.
Forestry Minister Rhona Brankin announced the woodland boost after a walk along Motherwell's Greenlink Project. This initiative is receiving money from Forestry Commission Scotland to create new cycleways, footpaths and wooded areas around the Ravenscraig steelworks site. It is estimated that this initiative alone will save the NHS £1.7 million in the lifetime of the project and more than a third of a million pounds each year thereafter.
Ms Brankin said:
"Woodland can make a big difference in improving the lives of people living in urban areas. Local woods are often a favourite place for people to stretch the legs, wind down, recharge the batteries and forget about the stresses of modern-day life.
"Having better and improved access to properly maintained woods can often be the catalyst to encouraging people to get more active. Mix this with a more attractive environment, improved wildlife habitats and better opportunities for attracting new business, and you can make a real difference to people's lives.
"It is exciting to see the eight Glasgow and Clyde Valley authorities working in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Greenspace Scotland. I believe that together they will make a real impact on the surrounding environment."
The cash will act as a catalyst to implement the new Glasgow & Clyde Valley Forestry & Woodlands Framework, which has been developed by all eight local authorities covering the area. The framework sets out a vision of how woodland and forestry can contribute to breathing new life into the region through a Green Network that will improve access, biodiversity and the image of the area.
Vincent Goodstadt, manager of the Glasgow & the Clyde Valley Joint Structure Plan Committee, added: "The framework forms a key policy in the revised Joint Structure Plan, promoting a step change in the improvement of the region's environment. The concept of a Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network has been in existence for a number of years, but with the publication of the new framework, combined with the £3 million funding, I'm confident we can improve the environment for all."
Through Forestry Commission Scotland's Woods in & Around Towns Initiative(WIAT), £4.5 million is also being allocated to a range of woodland projects across Scotland, including work to transform parts of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley region. The Bishops Estate in Easterhouse is getting a woodland make-over with more than 3,700 metres of path being built or upgraded, 100 tonnes of fly tipped rubbish removed, and 14 hectares (35 acres) of woodland being thinned to make new access points for the 40,000 people living nearby.