Live project
A multi-phase project to make Cadder Woods a safe, accessible and enjoyable place where nature and community can thrive.
Client and funding
In 2022 Green Action Trust was asked by Glasgow City Council, the landowner, to review the future management of Cadder Woods and develop it as a community resource.
We applied to the Scottish Government’s Vacant & Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) and secured funds for a two-year programme to support the regeneration of Cadder Woods into a safe and attractive place for the local community and visitors to use.
Work now continues to secure further match funding with an aim of starting work on site in the early part of 2024.
Aims & objectives
The project aims to deliver multiple outcomes, across these key areas:
Addressing the previous industrial use and subsequent rubbish dumping to improve the safety, usability and attractiveness of wood.
Opening up new path links and improving existing formal and informal path networks to provide better access to this greenspace.
Connecting the communities around the woods to active travel links along the canal and into the city.
Cadder Woods is an area of scrub woodland and planted trees lying between the Forth & Clyde Canal and the community of Cadder on the north edge of Glasgow. The site is a product of an industrial past where a once shallow marshy loch was partially covered over by waste from iron works and then lost altogether as a result of the increasing demand for space for the expanding community.
Nowadays there is a 14 hectare area of regenerating trees, and some that have been planted, criss-crossed by a series of trodden paths. It is also formally classed as derelict due to the level of neglect and disturbance associated with its industrial history.
The woodland is at the same time a great local resource, a place to experience wildlife, and a barrier. The littering and dumping in the woods can make it threatening, and there are limited lines of sight and so it can feel unsafe. The trodden paths can become muddy and overgrown.
Yet if you go through it or round it from Cadder, you also arrive on the Forth and Clyde Canal towpath, and this opens up routes to Maryhill via the new Stockingfield Junction bridge and the Hamiltonhill Claypits Nature Reserve, also providing access to a wealth of service centres and destinations in the north of Glasgow.
Key stages
This project will take several years to deliver, from the initial scoping, consultation and funding applications to delivery on the ground. Below is a summary of progress and next stages.
In June 2022, we submitted a stage 1 application to the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP). This was approved in September 2022 and the following month, a stage 2 application was submitted.
Over the summer of 2022, we held a series of community consultation events, including a survey, six led walks, a display at the Cadder Gala Day, stakeholder meetings, and face to face discussions.
A summary of the feedback gathered and an outline of the plans are available to view.
In February 2023, the Scottish Government announced the award of over £0.5 million in 2023-24 to support the regeneration of Cadder Woods from its Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP).
The funding is part of a two-year programme with a total value of £772,700 from the VDLIP to transform the site into a fantastic facility for all the local community and visitors to enjoy.
Work is ongoing to secure further match funding with an aim of starting the delivery phase on site in the early part of 2024.
Work is underway to access additional funding from Sustrans to support the costs of developing active travel routes across the site. Work on site is planned to begin in early 2024, with some elements going into 2025.
Key features of the regenerated site will include managed woodland; wildflower meadow areas; improved paths; an outdoor teaching area; and sensory and natural play features.
A ramp connecting the wood to the canal towpath is also planned, linking the area to north Glasgow’s active travel routes.
From feasibility studies to forests, grant management to greenspace, we can help to make your project a reality. It all starts with a conversation, so contact us now to get started.
