What is the GN - GCV Green Network (2024)

Nature

restoring our natural habitats and giving wildlife a helping hand.

Climate

providing natural solutions to address climate change.

People

creating opportunities to improve health and wellbeing

What is the Green Network?

The Green Network incorporates a range of high quality greenspaces that are well-connected by off-road walking and cycling routes, and a variety of wildlife habitats, designed and managed to provide benefits to both people and nature.

The Green Network is a crucial part of the Region’s drive to address the twin climate and ecological crises and will make the Region a much more connected, resilient, liveable and sustainable place.

Bringing the vision to life

Our Vision is of a sustainable and liveable place where people and wildlife can move easily through an attractive and diverse landscape. The case studies below showcase the Green Network in action and demonstrate the ambition for delivery we want to see across the Region. Delivery at this scale requires collaboration around a collective vision, an approach that is central to our work.

Seven Lochs

The Seven Lochs Wetlands Park is an exemplar of Green Network delivery - a place where people and wildlife can relax and thrive!

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Clyde Gateway

The Clyde Gateway sits to the east of Glasgow and is a fantastic place to work, live and play with an attractive Green spine.

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Our Strategy

The GCVGN’s ambition is that the Green Network is easily accessible to everyone who lives and works in the Region. This would mean everyone being within a 5 minute walk of a quality greenspace, connected to the wider Green Network. However, delivery at that scale requires a concerted and co-ordinated effort using a variety of delivery mechanisms. Read our Strategy to learn more.

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What are the benefits?

A high quality, multifunctional and well-managed Green Network can deliver a host of environmental, societal and economic benefits and is a key pillar in making our Region: resilient and adapted to the impacts of climate change, nature friendly, reversing ecological decline, and a healthier and happier place to live, work and visit.

Working Together

Planning for Success

The GCVGN’s ambition is that the Green Network is easily accessible to everyone who lives and works in the Region.

The new focus of NPF4 and Local Development Plans mean securing delivery of the Green Network as an integral part of planning proposals will be a major delivery mechanism, particularly in urban areas.

Key Delivery Mechanism

The public sector is a major deliverer and manager of Green Network assets however, they are under constant financial pressure and budgets for Green Network investment are being reduced..

Nevertheless, they remain a key delivery mechanism and budgets need to be secured and targeted effectively, ensuring delivery of the array of benefits for people and nature.

Delivering Value

There will be significant investment in the region’s infrastructure over the coming decades which provides a unique opportunity to ensure that green infrastructure is designed as a component part of these investments. Integration of the Green Network into new infrastructure projects will not only deliver economic value, but also additional environmental and social benefits.

Working Together

There will be opportunities for major funding bids in the coming years through streams such as the Nature Restoration Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is essential that regional organisations work together to identify potential projects and prepare proposals to avoid competition and duplication of effort.

The Blueprint, created to drive delivery of the Green Network, identified the need for both an off-road Access Network, allowing people to move sustainably around and between communities, and a Habitat Network that allows wildlife to move easily through the landscape. Our suite of 5 delivery initiatives will drive forward that ambition.

Clyde Climate Forest

Despite their critical role in rural and urban landscapes, the UK has one of Europe’s lowest proportions of tree and woodland cover. We aim to plant 18 million trees to:

soak up increased rainfall and create cooling in heatwaves
lock up carbon, supporting Net Zero targets
expand a crucial wildlife habitat, and
provide a place for people to experience nature

Clyde Peatlands

Around a seventh of Glasgow City Region is covered in peat, however, up to 80% of that is degraded and emitting carbon into the atmosphere. With support from NatureScot’s Peatland ACTION Fund, we will restore peatlands to:

lock up and store carbon, to support Net Zero targets
reinstate a rich wildlife habitat, reversing ecological decline, and
absorb water in heavy rainfall, alleviating flooding.

Clyde Wetlands

Once a common feature in the landscape, only a fraction of our wetlands remain. We will target over 150 locations for wetland creation to:

enhance natural flood management and water quality
provide cooling effects in urban areas
absorb and store large amounts of carbon, and
restore a vital wildlife habitat to our landscape

Clyde Grasslands

Once widespread, 97% of species rich grasslands have been lost since the 1940s. We will target over 400 locations for grassland creation to:

address pollinator decline to support agriculture
lock up and store carbon, supporting Net Zero targets
reinstate a rich and vibrant habitat, reversing ecological decline, and
create places for people to experience nature

Clyde Greenways

We need to rethink the way we travel to encourage walking, cycling and wheeling, especially for shorter trips. With key partners, SPT, SUSTRANS and local authorities, we aim to expand and enhance the network of Greenways to:

make the Green Network an attractive option for everyday journeys
provide alternatives to on-road cycle routes
provide recreational opportunities, and
improve health and wellbeing

Summary

Together these initiatives will make a major contribution to the region’s Green Network enabling people to live healthier, happier lives and creating a landscape that benefits wildlife. The Blueprint initiatives are at varying stages of development, with Clyde Peatlands and Clyde Climate Forest actively delivering projects on the ground and Clyde Grassland and Clyde Wetlands recently securing funding, moving them towards delivery.