Completed projects
We transformed this former coal mining spoil heap into a vibrant community greenspace, where people and nature can thrive.
Client and funding
We were commissioned by Falkirk Council – as part of our ongoing partnership helping to deliver the Falkirk Greenspace Initiative – to plan, design and project manage this project to completion.
Delivered over several phases, the biggest transformation was to the top of the bing during 2022. For this phase, in addition to the budget from Falkirk Council, over £0.5 million was secured through the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme.
What was achieved
The project delivered multiple outcomes, across these key areas:
Through landscaping, tree and bulb planting, new access paths and a kick-about pitch.
The former coal mining spoil heap has been transformed and taken off the VDL register.
Boosted using meadow areas, ‘nectar rich’ bulbs, wetland areas and an ‘edible hedge’.
New path links connect the neighbouring areas and enhance active travel provision.
Video
The site of former coal mining activity, this area had been neglected for decades. Discover how we worked with Falkirk Council and the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme to deliver a wide range of outcomes, from enabling access to local greenspace to boosting biodiversity.
Over a decade in the making, the Lionthorn Policy Bing greenspace enhancement project was completed in 2022, breathing new life into a previously neglected area.
The site was officially opened in 2023 by Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning, Joe FitzPatrick MSP, who along with members of Falkirk Council, Green Action Trust, and Mackenzie Construction, helped to plant the final trees to complete the transformation.
Owned by Falkirk Council, Lionthorn Policy Bing is the remains of a coal mining spoil heap lying between the two communities of Hallglen and Lionthorn. The area, which was classified as vacant and derelict, has now been transformed into a vibrant, open greenspace for residents and visitors to enjoy.
We have been working on enhancing the site across various phases going all the way back to 2009, and so it has taken a tremendous amount of planning and work behind the scenes, in partnership with both Falkirk Council and the local community, to see the project to completion. As we reported last year, a vital step to fund the final phase of the project was taken when over £0.5m was secured via the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, taking the total investment in this phase to £780,000.
The project achieved a wide range of objectives, including creating space to relax, exercise and play; encouraging biodiversity; and mitigating climate change through tree planting. The site also provides active travel links to the neighbouring path networks and communities. In a wider context, these attributes deliver many key aims of the Central Scotland Green Network.
Lionthorn Bing
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.
