Breich Valley Villages Gateway Enhancement Project
This project is being led by Central Scotland Forest Trust in association with West Lothian Council and Fauldhouse Community Development Trust. This purpose of the project was to investigate the opportunities to enhance the attractiveness and quality of the entranceways and approaches to a number of villages in the Breich Valley, West Lothian. The Breich Valley is located to the North of the A71 between Fauldhouse and West Calder. The project has won funding from the Central Scotland Green Network Development fund.
There are currently many organisations working individually and in partnership to deliver physical, social and environmental benefits in the Fauldhouse and Breich Valley area. The communities here share a number of issues around community facilities, anti-social behaviour, environmental quality and unemployment and following various consultation exercises, a number of organisations, specifically Central Scotland Forest Trust, West Lothian Council, Fauldhouse Community Development Trust and Forestry Commission Scotland, have come together to look at ways and mechanisms for addressing some of these issues.
This piece of work is specifically aimed at tackling some of the numerous, small scale landscaping and visual improvement opportunities which have been identified as potential short term wins. The project is being funded by the CSGN Development Fund.
The main objectives of the project were therefore to:
- Identify threshold sites for greening and enhancement through a range of measures including but not limited to woodland management and tree and hedge planting,
- Deliver partner objectives in terms of habitat conservation and enhancement in West Lothian,
- Provide connections with other habitats in the wider landscape,
- Contribute to the Central Scotland Forest and Central Scotland Green Network.
Given the existence of the Fauldhouse Future Job Fund Project, which offers young trainees the opportunity to work on a range of woodland and environmental projects in the area, it was always the intention that some of the opportunities identified and proposals developed from this study should be suitable for delivery by the Future Jobs Fund trainees.
Within the Breich Valley area, 14 specific sites were identified for consideration within the scope of the project. The appointed consultant; Mark Hamilton Landscape Services, has provided an initial assessment of the opportunities that exist in these sites for woodland or hedge planting and where appropriate the management of existing woodlands, hedgerows and shelter belts. The brief had originally asked that following the initial assessment and discussion with the project steering group, detailed planting and management proposals were developed for 4 of the 14 sites.
In the end, the study has surpassed expectations, with 7 opportunities being identified. 5 of these are being developed for delivery by the trainees, with other delivery and funding mechanisms being discussed for the two larger and more complex schemes that are in the process of being developed.
For further information about this project please contact Gillian Barrie at CSFT: Gillian.Barrie@csft.org.uk
Good news about improving greenspaces and natural habitats for local communities, business and biodiversity.
"Ideas not coupled with action will never become bigger than the brain cells which generated them"
Arnold H Glasow