A derelict piece of ground in Moodiesburn is to be transformed into a village green after receiving grant funding of nearly £231,000.
New trees and habitats are to be planted at the site at Gartferry Road, and outdoor facilities including a play trail are set to be installed for youngsters.
Project organisers say it will “encourage a much more diverse environment” and will bring the community together, including through managing and developing the site.
Known as Glenmanor Greenspace, the plans have been awarded the major funding boost from the Scottish Government’s low-carbon vacant land investment programme.
It is currently used for informal outdoor learning by pupils at neighbouring Glenmanor Primary, with parent council members having helped develop the plans alongside Northern Corridor community volunteers – who are set to take ownership of the site through their Cloudberry Communities social enterprise.
Part of the site at the corner of Glenmanor Avenue is used as informal car parking, while the wider derelict area combines newer pedestrian pathways with natural regeneration of the long-empty site.
Local MSP Fulton MacGregor welcomed the “ambitious and exciting project” and said it will “play a part in driving regeneration in the area while tackling climate change”.
He told Lanarkshire Live: “It’s great news that local people will be consulted and I very much look forward to sharing more news as it develops – the people of Moodiesburn deserve an amazing project like this and I can’t wait to see the plans unfold.”
Scottish Parliament colleague Gillian Mackay has lodged a motion at Holyrood welcoming the investment and noting that the project will create “a new village green at the heart of the area’s 20-minute neighbourhood on a long-term derelict site”.
The Green representative for Central Scotland also praised Northern Corridor community volunteers and Glenmanor parent council for their “relentless efforts to improve the area”, saying: “It’s an excellent example of community ambition being fulfilled through the hard work of local people."
The land was previously the site of the former Bridgend Primary, but with Glenmanor being built in the 1980s and the old school demolished, the site has lain vacant since then.
Green councillor Claire Williams said detailed project plans are now being drawn up to improve the site’s appearance, play facilities and biodiversity with the help of the Shotts-based Green Action Trust.
A North Lanarkshire spokesperson said: “The successful bid to the Scottish Government’s vacant and derelict land investment fund is the first key step in the project, which will be delivered by Green Action Trust [and who] will now carry out engagement to develop proposals to meet the needs and aspirations of the local community.
“Subject to further funding, legal agreements and ecological surveys being carried out, the Trust will transfer ownership of the site to NCCV, via community interest company Cloudberry Communities, on a long-term lease.”
*Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
