Campaigners looking for support for Falkirk area community woodland park plans

Falkirk Council’s Community Choices initiative is now open for public voting – and the Braes Greenspace group is hoping its community woodland plans will be one of the 27 projects to receive funding.

Braes Greenspace, which became a registered charity in July 2020, is also looking for as much support as it can get to help it plead its case to the Scottish Government Reporter to refuse Persimmon Homes’ appeal to build 91 houses on land at Hillcrest/Tappernail Farm in Reddingmuirhead.

The developer appealed to the Scottish Government after its housing plans were refused by Falkirk Council.

The firm stated its development would be “positive addition” to the area, bringing new families to these communities, who will in turn bring new children to the schools, spend money in local shops and use local services.

At the last Falkirk Council planning meeting, before the application was refused, Persimmon had also agreed to pay contributions of more than £600,000 to alleviate any impact on health services, education and transport and promised 23 of the 91 homes would be affordable housing.

Those who objected to the proposal to develop the land for housing – including all the local community councils in the area – stated it would have a negative impact on health services, schools and local transport, which are already struggling to cope with the rapidly increased population of the Braes area in the last few years.

They support the Braes Greenspace campaign, which says the area is desperately short of open space and everything possible should be done to keep the site accessible to everyone.

The group is looking to develop a plan of their own as an alternative to housing – the Braes Community Woodland Park.

A Braes Greenspace spokesperson said: “Given the recognised need for open space provision in the area, the creation of Braes Community Woodland Park would serve the current and future recreational needs of Braes communities across all generations.

"We respectfully ask for the appeal to be refused and the site be removed from the Local Development Plan. This will enable Braes Greenspace and stakeholders working together, to progress the creation of Braes Community Woodland Park.

“Negotiations with landowners have already commenced. If successful and Braes Greenspace is awarded the funds and the landowner is unwilling to sell, Braes Greenspace will proceed via a Part 5 Right to Buy Land to further Sustainable Development application under the Land Reform (Scotland) ACT 2016."

Braes Greenspaces is urging people to vote for their community woodland park plans as one the projects to receive Falkirk Community Choices funding.

People have three votes to use in support of the groups and organisations that have applied for funding through the latest round of the Community Choices programme.

In total 27 groups and organisations are each hoping to secure £5000 or more to help them build something new, improve an asset, or purchase equipment.

Visit www.falkirk.gov.uk/ccvote before Monday, February 14 to cast your vote.

Thank you for reading this article on our free-to-read website. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a subscription to our print newspaper to help fund our trusted, fact-checked journalism.

https://www.localsubsplus.co.uk/nord/dm/FKH/V