Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) Simon Rennie Chief - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN)

Simon Rennie Chief Executive, CSGNT

Northern Ireland Environment Link Conference, 30 September, 2016

Falkirk Greenspace Initiative – How a 20 year environmental programme has delivered social and economic benefits

Contents

• CSGN – What and where?
• Falkirk’s place, FGI study

and Vision

• Social, health and

economic contributions

• FGI delivering partner

ambitions

• Lessons & regrets

The Vision

By 2050, Central Scotland has been transformed into a place where the environment adds value to the economy and where people’s lives are enriched by its quality

Falkirk’s place within the CSGN

The beginning……………..

The beginning……………..

Falkirk Greenspace Vision

• The creation of a continuous, well-wooded parkland or

greenspace encircling Falkirk where new amenity woodland would link existing and proposed recreational spaces, public parks and gardens, the corridors of the River Carron and the two canals, nature reserves, the Green Belt, former policy woodland and designated countryside around the urban area: and in which recreation, leisure, heritage facilities and new development would be focused. A key feature would be the establishment of a circular off-road route around and through the parkland ring.

Physical transformation

• Over 1000 Ha of land treated
• Over 1.3 million trees planted (and survived!)
• 260 km of paths created/upgraded
• Over 100 greenspace projects
• 1998 to 2014 programme value - £12m
• Major projects: HELIX, WIAT programme, Forth

Valley Royal Hospital

• So what…………………?

Social & health contributions

• Community activism – CATCA
• Bespoke CDC
• Lionthorn Community Woodland

Association

• 340 Community events
• Forth Valley Royal Hospital

Economic contributions

• Calendar Estates commerce
• Developers using local

greenspace quality as a marketing tool

• Tourism – increasing hotel bed

numbers

• Economic activity in delivery

phase

Delivering partner ambitions

• Falkirk Council ‘repositioning’
• Forth Valley Enterprise (early

days) – improved business environment

• FCS – forests contribution to

society – demonstrating relevance

• SNH – habitats, landscape,

public enjoyment

• Scottish Canals – access, benefit

local communities

Lessons learnt……………..

• The need for a strong vision which enables action over

time – a validating reference point

• Need for sustained commitment over time and through

periods of change – ongoing ‘political’ will.

• Partnership formation, maintenance and contribution
• Commitment matched by effort
• Ongoing need for creativity and innovation
• The need, within the boundaries of the Vision, to tie

current activities into current wider political priorities

Regrets – we’ve had a few………..

• Did not use our experience to create a stronger evidence base for

the validity of the principle

• Tied to that did not establish stronger baseline data and ongoing

M&E work

• Did not deliver more of the programme through training &

employment activity

• Community capacity building could have been stronger/more

integral to the delivery (especially important in the light of current/ongoing LA budget cuts)

• All that said how at the outset could we have known just how good,

large and effective the whole thing would be?

Conclusions