News
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Latest News
New Chair & Vice-Chair to take up the challenge
The Glasgow & Clyde Valley (GCV) Green Network Partnership has recruited two prominent Councillors as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board just ahead of the organisation's second birthday.
The Partnership has for the past two years worked to promote the creation of a Green Network across the metropolitan region to improve quality of life for local people, visitors, and wildlife.
Cllr George Redmond, of Glasgow City Council handed over the reins to East Renfrewshire's Cllr Eddie Phillips this week after two years as Chair. He said, "The GCV Green Network will make connections that will improve people's lives. Local people will have better off-road access to adjacent communities and safe, healthy routes to school and work and this can only be a good thing. The Partnership will have my continued support moving forward as the programme is ambitious but very much achievable.
New Chair Cllr Eddie Phillips said, "Over the next few years the spotlight will be on the Glasgow region as the Commonwealth Games approach. We have an opportunity to realise some of our ambitious plans and promote Glasgow and the Clyde Valley as a great place to live, work and play. Although the Green Network is a 20-year programme this attention offers us the chance to showcase the bigger picture for the region.
New vice-Chair for the Partnership Cllr Robert Moran of Inverclyde Council stated, 'It is great to be involved in one of Europe's largest 'greening' projects, the Green Network will enhance the Glasgow & Clyde Valley region and potentially provide vast business and tourism opportunities. I am proud to be involved in the programme and to have the opportunity to collaborate with a wide-range of partners to ensure delivery of the Green Network is realised.
Flood prevention offered by Green Network SUDS project
The 2002 floods which swept across the Clyde Valley focused local authorities on creating long-term flood proofing measures.
In recent years recognition has grown that a regional Green Network may be part of the answer providing a cost-effective drainage and water management option. The huge costs of creating concrete drainage solutions make this innovative approach even more appealing.
Sustainable urban drainage systems or SUDS are currently being researched by the GCV Green Network Partnership as a 21st century approach to the problem. The Partnership's SUDS project, which is currently underway, plans to investigate planning activity across the eight local authorities and recommend where the Green Network can provide drainage solutions.
Recommendations are expected to offer multiple benefits for people, biodiversity, and the local environment. The Partnership will create concept plans for each of the local authorities demonstrating best practice and opening up further opportunities for recreation and education across the Green Network.
To find out more about the next steps for this project join us at our 'Putting you in the Picture' event, register by clicking here.
Pic: a SUDS scheme at work in Ruchill, North Glasgow.
Report helps unlock £1.3m for Green Network in Auchenback
A fantastic £1.3million will be invested into Auchenback's Green Network following a successful bid for Scottish Government Smarter Choices, Smarter Places funding.
The investment, which includes match funding, will seek to address issues of deprivation and health inequality in a place where death due to coronary heart disease is more than double the national average.
The bid's success can be attributed to the inclusion of recommendations taken from the Green Network Partnership's Auchenback Health and Open Space Report. The report, which is based on the views of local people, highlights the improvements necessary to reduce barriers to accessing outdoor space.
Recommendations identified in the report including educational activities and policy measures to raise awareness and shape future trends. Practical ideas such as the upgrading of path networks, cycling facilities, and public transport are also suggested.
The Auchenback Health and Open Space Report was commissioned by GCV Green Network Partnership, East Renfrewshire Council and East Renfrewshire Community Health and Care Partnership and was undertaken by Halcrow consultants. The Scottish Government funding application was prepared and submitted by East Renfrewshire Council. To view the draft report (click here).
Creating an impact with Quality Standards
Working in partnership with Greenspace Scotland, the GCV Green Network recently commissioned a research project to develop guidance for local authorities and others in carry out a qualitative assessment of their greenspace resource.
Scottish Planning Policy 11, Open Space and Physical Activity, requires local authorities to undertake a comprehensive greenspace audit of all urban greenspace within their area. While it is relatively easy to measure and map quantities and types of greenspace, the concept of assessing quality has proven more difficult. This guidance will suggest a template for local authorities on how to develop a strategic framework to guide the auditing process, a methodology for carrying out a qualitative assessment and how monitoring and evaluation feed into the process.
Use of the guidance will enhance the already well-documented benefits of quality greenspace provision in terms of health, social, environmental and economic impacts locally.
The final Greenspace Quality Guide is available to download here.
Clyde Walkway
The GCV Green Network Partnership’s recently completed Clyde Access Project proposed a series of actions to better the quality of the walking and cycling route along the River Clyde.
With focus firmly on the Clyde Gateway area following Glasgow’s successful 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid, the outputs from that original project have now been thrust upon the main stage.
Consequently, integration of the proposed Commonwealth Games Athletes Village with the surrounding area provides the Green Network with the opportunity to set the bar in terms of quality and design across the Corridor.
Landscape and Environment Consultancy Aedas have been contracted to identify opportunities to improve safety, recreational benefits, woodland management and the enhancement of biodiversity along the walkway.
Landscape designs will be developed, in consultation will stakeholders, for the area where the Athletes Village meets the river and, Aedas will research and propose specifications for high quality, low maintenance and low energy consumption lighting for the same section of route.
Planning guidance crucial to Green Network success
Delivery of the Green Network is an ambitious but achievable goal, however, for the Green Network vision to succeed, integration with the planning system is vital.
That's the view of Michelle Carroll, Strategic Planner with the GCV Structure Plan Joint Committee, who is leading project development of a 'best practice guide' aimed at allowing planners to play an active part in developing the Green Network.
"The Planning Guidance we are developing will be primarily aimed at local authority planning departments, developers, landowners, community councils and others involved with the development of the Green Network.
It will contain advice on reviewing development plans and development management practices, and provide practitioners with a set of planning action programmes.
Although use of the Guidance will be non-statutory, we anticipate that planners will recognise the aspirations of the Partnership, and take the Planning Guidance into account as a material planning consideration".
Within the wider spatial framework this Guidance will be designed to integrate local decision-making with regional strategic objectives. This could guide greenspace-related policy and implementation to help create and maintain linkages across the wider Green Network.
Development of the Planning Guidance document is currently at scoping stage. This involves the identification of key Green Network issues and investigation of earlier missed opportunities arising from either lack of policy back up in planning application or through misinterpretation of adopted policies.
The Planning Guidance document will be launched in the autumn, in the meantime look out for further information in future newsletters.
Gowkthrapple's Regeneration
Creation of the Gowkthrapple Green Network is an integral part of the major regeneration programme currently taking place across this neighbourhood, close to Wishaw in North Lanarkshire.
By using a masterplan approach, new and enhanced greenspace provision is being built in from the start of the planning process, making sure that the Gowkthrapple Green Network is designed to meet the needs of local residents and is maintained to a high quality standard for the long term.
Local consultation is a major part of the work programme, enabling the regeneration partners to build a better understanding of local issues, perceptions, needs and aspirations. A recent consultantion 'design day', organised by the GCV Green Network Partnership and North Lanarkshire Council, highlighted as particularly important issues the need for a more functional landscape, better footpath routes, better lighting, more play facilities, and better maintenance.
The development of a well designed Green Network in this area will improve the environmental quality of Gowkthrapple, enhance quality of life for residents, strengthen biodiversity and help create new economic opportunities, especially for local people. In addition, the Green Network approach will help improve links between Gowkthrapple and neighbouring areas such as Wishaw and Overtown. Scoping of opportunities for development of the Green Network is scheduled for completion in April 2008.
Local exhibition aids consultation process
Residents in Auchenback, East Renfrewshire, recently took part in a research exercise to highlight the good and bad aspects of their local green and open spaces.
The exercise, run by Halcrow consultants, is part of a wider assessment of the area to discover the real and perceived barriers to accessing the Green Network.
As part of the consultants work, local attitudes and usage will be assessed over the medium to long-t
erm alongside a local programme of physical regeneration.
Ellie Mills, of Halcrow consultants, said "We are innovative in the way we gathered our research information, in this instance we supplied 10 digital cameras to local residents. We found that by giving people a camera and asking them to take 10 photos as they went about their day to day activities it was a much easier to start a dialogue rather that using the usual questionnaire approach."
"The informal conversations we had with residents whilst distributing cameras were a rich source of information. An exhibition of the images, entitled 'A picture of health', provided a platform for further discussion and workshops. This provided us with a vital evidence base with which to continue our research."
"This information will now be analysed, categorised and developed into an action plan with specific proposals to allow people to gain the maximum benefit from their open space resources."
In an area of high deprivation like Auchenback it is hoped that significant investment in regeneration will bring with it increased levels of activity across the local Green Network.
Picture: Taken by local residents in Auchenback as part of Halcrow's research.
Best Practice Mission for Partnership Team
The Green Network Partnership recently embarked on a fascinating fact finding study tour of the Dearne Valley area in South Yorkshire, a region scared by the collapse of the coal mining industry in the 1980’s.
Following years of decline and unemployment, Dearne Valley is now reputedly one of Britain’s most successful regeneration initiatives and has helped attract over £200m of private sector investment and create 10,000 jobs in what is Britain’s largest Enterprise Zone.
Members of the Green Network Partnership Board and representatives of several Partner organisations were keen to discover the relationship between this economic achievement, and the strategic restoration of the environment which helped deliver this success.
Visits to projects such as those in the Dearne Valley allow the Green Network team to learn from experience elsewhere and strive to deliver best practice here in Scotland.
Picture: Malcolm Meekins, Senior Project Officer at Rotherham Council, leads the study tour of Brookfield Park – formerly Europe’s largest coal marshalling yard.
Green Network Vision Launched in City
In June this year Finance Minister John Swinney backed the launch of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley (GCV) Green Network.
The Programme was launched at the ‘Bridge’ in Easterhouse, near the site of one of the Green Network’s major ‘growth corridor’ projects.
Mr. Swinney said "The Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network partnership will improve access to green and open space for local communities. Making Scotland's spaces greener and more accessible is fundamental to increasing sustainable economic growth.”
"This project will not just transform the living and working environment for nearly two million people. It will make Glasgow and its surrounding areas a more attractive place for business investment, regeneration initiatives and sustainable development.”
Picture: John Swinney MSP, speaking at the Green Network launch.
Green Network Announce New Chair
The Board of the recently launched Glasgow and Clyde Valley (GCV) Green Network Partnership has welcomed the appointment of a new Chair and vice Chair.
Councillor George Redmond, of Glasgow City Council, takes up his role as Chair of the Partnership this month, and Eddie Phillips, of East Renfrewshire Council, has been appointed vice Chair.
Welcoming the appointment Roddy Fairley, Acting Chair, said "The Board warmly welcomes the appointment of Councillor Redmond and Councillor Phillips. Its great that they have been appointed and we look forward to working closely with them in the future. “
Picture: Max Hislop (left), Programme Manager, welcomes Cllr Redmond and Cllr Phillips to the team in the presence of John Swinney MSP
