The Scottish Government

Name

Robert Hunter

Job title

Organisation

Stirling Council

Address

Environment Services, Viewforth, Stirling FK8 2ET

Telephone

01786 442751

Fax

01786 443003

Email

hunter@stirling.gov.uk

1 North Lanarkshire Council

2 Carron Valley Development Group

3 Forestry Commission Scotland

4

5

6

Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

Title of entry

Carron Valley Development

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

This nomination is submitted by Stirling Council on behalf of the Carron Valley Partnership, in recognition of the work of the Carron Valley Development Group in promoting and developing mountain bike trails and complementary facilities within the Carron Valley Forest.

For more than thirty years the local authorities have attempted to formalize the Campsie/Touch Hills as a recreational attraction, with a focus on the Carron Valley Reservoir. A whole range of reports have looked at proposals for a Country Park, a Local Forestry Framework, a Campsie Fells Trail Initiative and a Regional Park. Apart from the production of a Campsie Trail leaflet, which proved extremely popular, no significant progress was made in developing facilities on site. This was due principally to the lack of funding and a reluctance, until fairly recently, to encourage any informal use of the Reservoir. In 2003, following general support from the local authorities and other government agencies to once again review the area's potential, a member of the International Mountain Biking Association made a presentation to the Study Group about developing facilities in the Carron Valley area.

In 2004 officers from North Lanarkshire and Stirling Councils and Forestry Commission Scotland agreed that the development of mountain-biking facilities in Carron Valley was worth exploring. This was based on the aims and objectives of the Carron Valley Development Group and the obvious linkages with our aspirations for the area. The Group also impressed everyone with their professional knowledge and understanding of the local area and environment. The Group's focus on Carron Valley was driven by:-

• Under provision of mountain biking facilities in Central Scotland
• Mountain biking should be accessible to everyone and not just car owners
• Carron Valley can help grow the sport and complement areas like the 7stanes
• The site's development will encourage other recreational use of the woodlands and reservoir
• Carron Valley has the capacity to absorb visitor numbers from the local communities

As a result of the fresh impetus provided by the Carron Valley Development Group, in January 2005, a full-day workshop was organised by the two local authorities and the Forestry Commission, which was attended by a wide range of recreational, community and landowning interests. The objective of developing a "joined up approach" was fundamental to the outcome of the workshop. This then translated into the formation of the Carron Valley Partnership, with membership drawn from the two local authorities, Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Water, Central Scotland Forest Trust, Carron Valley Development Group and the Clanranald Trust.

Following the support in principle from the main partners and the successful outcome of the workshop, the Development Group began the major task of scoping out the route of a potential trail, while also seeking to raise the funds to construct the route. It should be emphasised that the Group's support for the project was not only seen in their own financial contributions to the costs associated with running the Group, but also an enormous commitment of time to plan and clear several kilometres of forest to reduce costs and facilitate the development. Several of the members of the Group have also dedicated time to meet with potential funders and local community bodies to help establish a good rapport and keep them informed of developments.

The four main partners were initially the Forestry Commission, North Lanarkshire and Stirling Councils and the Development Group. This has continued, however the Central Scotland Forest Trust, more recently, have contributed their expertise to help deliver the project. The core principles of the Scottish Forestry Strategy 2006 are based on sustainable development and social inclusion, achieved through a culture of "forestry for and with people." The local authorities clearly have similar principles and through both direct involvement with their customers and the ability to promote and engage with other council services, all three partners have been able to assist the Development Group by encouraging wider internal support and helping facilitate the project's delivery.

In the space of three years it is difficult to overstate the positive impact that the Development Group has had on the local area.

They have committed over 10,000 volunteer hours to project management and trail-building
Over £130,000 of funding has been secured to help establish the trail network
Almost 11 kilometres of trails are now available for public use
A well-managed website ( www.carronvallev.org.uk) provides comprehensive information
Annual visitors to the trails are recorded at more than 20,000
Regular survey and monitoring of visitors takes place, which is then fed back to the partners
Forestry Commission Scotland has appointed a project manager to facilitate new developments
The site has hosted a number of business-related recreational events, eg Bikefest, Triathlon
Approaches have come from commercial interests to develop a cafe, bike hire and bike repair
Visitor satisfaction is clearly evident from feedback questionnaires
Feedback is being used to plan next phases of the development
In 2006 the Group received a Provost's Award for their work in the Stirling area
The whole profile of the area has been raised in the local and wider communities

In conclusion the Carron Valley Development Group has been successful in providing a focus within the Carron Valley and its environs, which has met the aspirations of a whole range of stake-holders through fulfilling local and national objectives in terms of health, education, recreation, sustainability and social inclusion. The process in taking forward this project is seen very much as an exemplar of a "bottom-up" approach in planning, with a community group being the drivers, but helping to satisfy the aims and objectives of a much wider audience.

24 August 2007