Cumbernauld Green Network Vision by Morag MacGregor

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision A Vision for the centre of Cumbernauld which will build upon existing green assets, link to wider green networks and make Cumbernauld a better place for people and wildlife.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Contents 1. Aims and Objectives 2. Policy Context 3. Consultation Review 4. Openspace Survey Methodology Result Analysis

5. Strategy 6. Strategic Proposals Green Routes Civic Space Facilities Streetscapes Poor Quality Sites Improved Biodiversity

7. Summary Appendix 1 Appendix 2

1 3 5 7 10 25 27 31 33 35 36 37 39 41 42

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Contents

Contains Ordnance Survey MasterMap data ÂŠ Crown copyright and database right 2014. MasterMap licence number 100016991.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Aims and Objectives

Why does Cumbernauld need a Green Network Vision? Cumbernauld has a substantial green network which provides benefits to both town residents and urban wildlife. When Cumbernauld was designed, significant greenspace was incorporated into residential areas with segregated pedestrian footpaths linking homes to the town centre. The town also has a good provision of woodland habitat which is easily accessible. However, there are some major gaps and barriers in this network which compromise its efficiency. One key issue is Cumbernauld Town Centre. The design concept behind the town centre was that all services would be provided inside one complex. As a result it is almost completely devoid of greenspace. The town centre fails to represent Cumbernauld’s considerable green assets and noticeably lacks a key civic space. It acts as a barrier in terms of movement for people and wildlife. The town centre is often perceived negatively by both residents and visitors. Throughout Cumbernauld issues with legibility and perceptions of safety cause the footpath network to be under utilised by residents. This in turn further encourages car use. Although nature reserves are easily accessible, entrances into reserves are not always obvious. These are among some of the issues which make Cumbernauld Town Centre less than successful.

Project Aim A Vision for the centre of Cumbernauld which will build upon existing green assets, link to wider green networks and make Cumbernauld a better place for people and wildlife.

This project will look at counteracting these challenges through a Green Infrastructure design approach. Green Infrastructure can be defined as:

“A network of multi-functional green space, both new and existing, both rural and urban, which supports the natural and ecological processes and is integral to the health and quality of life of sustainable communities” This project aims to identify ways to utilise a green infrastructure approach to create a stronger green network. This could give Cumbernauld a greater sense of identity, create safer and pleasanter spaces, improve ease of movement, create a sense of welcome and utilise the towns existing resources effectively. It also aims to make Cumbernauld a better place for wildlife. By assessing the distribution and quality of existing greenspace it will be possible to identify key assets and problem areas. This will enable proposals to be made which will build on existing assets and tackle issues. Proposals will not be detailed, but should have enough substance to be used as a stimulus for idea generation and funding proposals.

Who does this project aim to influence? • The Scottish Wildlife Trust – the vision should inform key projects the Cumbernauld Living Landscape is working on. The document should aim to further the objectives of the Living Landscape. • North Lanarkshire Council – the vision should suggest environmentally based ways to realise the aims set by the Town Centre Action Plan Framework and the North Lanarkshire Local Plan. The document should propose ways in which green infrastructure could help to address a wide range of issues which are important to local government including health, civic pride and the local economy. • Business owners and Town Centre stakeholders – the vision should indicate the benefit to businesses in the town centre of engaging with the green network strategy. • Local Communities – This vision will include visuals and ideas which could be used to engage the community and get them involved with particular projects.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

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Cumbernauld Green Infrastructure Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Policy Context Current Scottish planning policy and strategy documents are very supportive of a Green Infrastructure approach. By reviewing the relevant policy and strategy documents it was possible to identify ways in which the Cumbernauld Green Infrastructure Plan could work to meet the Scottish Government’s Planning aims and objectives: Scottish Planning Policy – This is the key Scottish Government policy on how nationally important land use planning matters should be addressed. The policy identifies the importance of Town Centres to the “economic and social fabric of Scotland” and the need to encourage their use and strengthen their amenities. The policy prioritises sustainable development and the need to tackle climate change. A key action proposed to tackle climate change is by encouraging active travel, which can be achieved through Green Infrastructure. The Scottish Planning Policy states that “Linking greenspaces in and around urban settlements through green networks can deliver benefits for people and nature”. It advocates green networks, calling for all development plans to identify and improve them. It also identifies the need to improve habitat connectivity to support ecological adaptability to climate change. National Planning Framework – Scotland’s National Planning Framework is a long-term strategy for Scotland, identifying opportunities for spatial development. The proposed 3rd framework sets out a vision for Scotland as; a successful, sustainable place, a low carbon place, a natural, resilient place and a connected place. Green Infrastructure is identified as a key tool in achieving this vision. The framework continues to prioritise environmental improvements in the Central Belt, with the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) which Cumbernauld sits at the heart of. This national development aims to create an integrated green network through central Scotland. In the strategy for Glasgow and the Clyde Valley the National Planning Framework actually highlights the need for “revisiting the role of Cumbernauld’s town centre to better reflect today’s lifestyle”. Creating Places – Creating Places is the Scottish government’s policy statement on architecture and place. It sets out the six qualities of successful places as: distinctive; safe and pleasant; easy to move around; welcoming; adaptable; and resource efficient. Currently Cumbernauld Town Centre does not epitomise these qualities, so this Green Infrastructure proposal will aim to integrate these qualities into the Town Centre. Creating places also highlights the importance of greenspace networks in providing health benefits to local residents. Designing Streets – Designing Streets is the Scottish Governments first policy statement on Street Design. It aims to help designers stop prioritising movement, especially vehicle movement, over place making. Cumbernauld Town Centre is a perfect example of where vehicular movement has been prioritised over the experience of pedestrians moving through and using space. Designing Streets echoes the six qualities of successful places set out in ‘Creating Places’ and offers more detailed suggestions on how to create versatile, sustainable places. This advice will be followed in creating a green infrastructure plan for Cumbernauld.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Policy Context

North Lanarkshire Single Outcome agreement – This is a community plan which sets out a vision for North Lanarkshire. It states that North Lanarkshire will be a place people want to live because of “the quality and accessibility of the natural environment”. The vision also particularly emphasises the importance of providing young people and children with the opportunity to be healthy and active. Cumbernauld Town Centre Framework and Action Plan. – These documents draw from wider planning policy and feedback from the Cumbernauld Town Centre Health Check to outline a vision for the improvement of Cumbernauld Town Centre. Using the outcomes from the Cumbernauld Town Centre Health Check the framework identifies the key issues facing the town centre and key opportunities for improvement. The Action Plan then outlines how these objectives will be achieved in the next 5-10 years. The framework reiterates many of the priorities in national planning policy within the context of Cumbernauld. One of the priority outcomes for working towards the framework vision is “Good quality green infrastructure that links to wider green networks”. Emphasis is placed on the need to improve the quality of the public realm, promote active travel by enhancing movement corridors and improve entrance points to the town centre to create a sense of welcome. The need to engage with “young people, the elderly and other main user groups” is identified. Many of opportunities highlighted in the Town Centre Framework can be realised through the creation of a stronger green network. Green Infrastructure - This document produced by the Scottish Government provides an overview of green infrastructure and how it can be applied to create successful, sustainable places. The document outlines techniques for creating strong green networks and provides examples of where this has previously been achieved successfully. 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity – This strategy document is about protecting biodiversity and how we can harness nature and its many processes and functions to improve our prosperity and welfare. It emphasises not only the importance of conserving our biodiversity, but also the importance of enabling people to connect with and benefit from nature. This vision document aims to lay the groundwork for an urban area which meets both these objectives. North Lanarkshire Biodiversity Action Plan – The NLBAP provides a specific framework for the species and types of habitat which need conserving in the context of North Lanarkshire. It also provides guidance on urban habitats which are important for biodiversity such as cemeteries. There is a huge amount of guidance and support within Scottish Government Policy at all levels for the implementation of green infrastructure. A green network plan for Cumbernauld would further the objectives of the Central Scotland Green Network and met national objectives.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Community Consultation Review

The timescale of this project unfortunately makes it impossible to conduct any legitimate community consultation into how local residents feel about Cumbernauld greenspace and the town centre. However, a significant amount of community consultation has already been carried out with regards to Cumbernauld Town Centre and areas close by. By reviewing the feedback from these it is possible to gain an approximate understanding of the thoughts and perceptions of those who use Cumbernauld Town Centre. Appropriate community consultation should be carried out in future stages of the development of this vision. The community consultation feedback which was considered relevant and reviewed was: • The Town Centre Health Check - ‘Perceptions Health Check’ • North Lanarkshire WIAT- Cumbernauld Woods • Friends of Cumbernauld Community Park Consultation • Abronhill Fairshare Trust Consultation • The Local Community Consultation on the use and future of the Langriggs The most relevant of the consultation work carried out in Cumbernauld is the ‘Perceptions Health Check’ which forms part of the Town Centre Health Check. This consultation took place between September 2012 and April 2013. It looked at the rate of use of the Town centre and found that the majority of respondents used the town centre regularly with 40% saying they used the Town Centre ‘most days’ and 24% saying they used it ‘once a week’. The majority of people stay in the town centre for 1 to 2 hours or less suggesting there are few incentives to stay in Cumbernauld Town Centre.

The majority of people access Cumbernauld Town Centre by Car (57%). This reflects the way in which Cumbernuald’s town centre layout serves car users better than pedestrians. Although the Town Centre is well connected to surrounding areas by footpaths, the minute these footpaths reach the town centre they terminate making it difficult to move through the town centre. It is easier to drive to locations in the Town Centre than it is to walk. The high percentage of people accessing the town centre by car indicates that some people who could easily walk or cycle are taking the car instead. 24% of participants said they walked to the Town Centre and 6% said they cycled. A similar survey carried out in Edinburgh found that walking was the main form of transport at 57% and that and that cycling accounted for 8% of journeys. Means of Accessing Cumbernauld Town Centre

57% 24% 6%

Throughout all the community consultations reoccurring points were brought up. In terms of the positive characteristics of Cumbernauld, the woodland and

existing path network were praised, although there were mixed reviews of the path network. Centralised facilities, public transport provision and good parking provision were also seen as positive qualities of the Town Centre. Negative aspects of Cumbernauld and the surrounding areas which were repeated included comments on the poor aesthetic quality of the area. In the Perceptions Health Check the majority of survey participants did not agree that Cumbernauld Town Centre had ‘attractive, well maintained footpaths and public areas’. Two of the top ten issues with Cumbernauld Town Centre related to the appearance and success of the public realm: ‘Run down and unattractive appearance, poor first impressions’ and ‘Poor environment’. Another factor which was considered a serious problem across the consultations was the issue of safety. The Abronhill Fairshare Trust found that ‘Lack of community safety including poor street lighting, underpasses and footpaths’ had a negative effect on the Abronhill community. Overgrown foot paths were widely seen as a serious threat to safety and issues with anti-social behaviour were also raised. A key issue which was empathised in every consultation was a lack of facilities. Lack of benches and picnic areas were mentioned, with the Local Community Consultation on the Langriggs, supporting the creation of seating and meeting places despite fears of misuse. The most pressing issue was seen to be the lack of facilities for young people. The need for better playspaces was seen as a major priority particularly by Friends of Cumbernauld Park, Abronhill Fairshare Trust and North Lanarkshire

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Community Consultation Review

[Type text] As well as recognising the Cumbernauld Woodland as an asset, these community consultations show that there is support for the creation of more woodland. The Local Community Consultation on the Langriggs supported the creation of new habitat areas and there was widespread support for the improvement of footpaths.

Positive characteristics of Cumbernauld

Community Consultations Perceptions Health Check

Good public transport Extensive footpath network Good parking facilities

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Woodland

Points

Negative characteristics of Cumbernauld

repeatedly

Unattractive Environment Unsafe, overgrown footpaths Poor lighting Dangerous traffic

raised in

Overall lack of facilities

Community

Lack of play facilities

Consultation

Play facilities

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Seating or picnic facilities Path improvement New Woodland New habitat areas

Friends of Cumbernauld Community Park

Abronhill Fairshare Trust

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The use and future of the Langriggs Cumbernauld Village

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Anti-social behaviour Communities would like to see more….

North Lanarkshire Council WIAT Cumbernauld Woodlands

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Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Methodology

The need for a openspace audit...

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenspace consisting of any vegetated land or structure, water, path or geological feature within and on the edges of settlements, and civic space consisting of squares, market places and other paved or hard landscaped areas with a civic function.â&#x20AC;?

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In order to better understand the provision of openspaces in and around Cumbernauld Town Centre, an Openspace audit was carried out. The PAN 65 Planning and Open Space Planning Advice Note defines Openspace as:

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Openspaces are the building blocks of green infrastructure. High quality, accessible and well connected openspaces provide considerable benefits to wildlife and the local community. In order to make sensitive, informed proposals to improve the green network in Cumbernauld it is important to understand the existing openspace assets.

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Desk based research was undertaken to compile the structure of the greenspace audit and define the extents of the survey area. The extents of the survey area was calculated with the use of GIS. The boundary of Cumbernauld Town Centre as defined by the Town Centre Action Plan was mapped and a buffer of 250m created around it. The area covered was approximately 5km2. Any openspace within the buffer or intersecting the

boundary line was surveyed. Exceptions were small courtyards within residential areas. Due to the time frame of the survey it was not possible to survey all the these courtyards so only a select few were surveyed to act as a representative sample. Significant openspace outside the survey extents was recorded but not audited (in this case the local wildlife reserves).

Openspaces were categorised into typology. The typologies were drawn from The PAN 65 Planning and Open Space Planning Advice Note. Some of the definitions were altered slightly to apply better to the relatively small scale survey area.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Methodology

Open space Audit – Green and Civic Space Open Space Typology Public Parks & Gardens Civic Space Amenity Greenspace Green corridors Natural or Semi-natural Playspace Derelict or leftover space Allotments and community growing space Private gardens

Description Areas of land normally enclosed, designed, constructed, managed and maintained as a public park or garden. While usually in public ownership in some instances these may be owned or managed by community groups. Town squares, market squares. Hard surfaced spaces for pedestrians, around civic buildings and town centres. Generally the location of markets or civic events. Greenspace areas providing visual amenity or separating different buildings or land uses for environmental, visual or safety reasons and used for a variety of informal or social activities such as sunbathing, picnics or a kick-about. Routes including canals river corridors and old railway lines linking different areas within a town or city and used for walking, cycling or horse riding. Areas of undeveloped or previously undeveloped land with residual natural habitats or which have been planted or colonised by vegetation including woodland and wetland areas. Areas with facilities providing safe and accessible opportunities for children to play. Areas of land often of unknown ownership. May be set aside for future development. Spaces with no or little management and maintenance carried out which have no clear function. Space possibly publicly owned and privately rented, or community owned for the production of food by individuals and community groups. Areas of land normally enclosed and associated with a house or institution and reserved for private use.

Each openspace was also assessed for quality. The criteria for the quality assessment were drawn from several guidance documents on the subject. The key documents utilised were:

Five key criteria which combined result in successful places within the context of Cumbernauld where identified as: 1.

Attractive and appealing places

Accessible and well-connected places

Safe places

• South Lanarkshire Green Network Quality Design Guide

Places active in supporting health and wellbeing

• Stockton-on-Tees Borough Open Space Audit

Biodiverse places

• Greenspace Quality - a guide to assessment, planning and strategic development produced by Greenspace Scotland and Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership

Each key criteria was given a series of subheadings which could score between 1 and 5. The score for each key criteria was then calculated as a percentage. An average score between the five criteria for each openspace was also calculated to give an overall idea of how well the openspace performed. The survey was carried out over approximately two weeks by one surveyor, ensuring the maximum consistency. Survey forms can be found in the appendix ___.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Methodology Successful Places

1. Attractive and Appealing Places

2. Accessible and well-connected places

3. Safe places

4. Places active in supporting health and wellbeing

5. Biodiverse places

• Attractive with a positive image

• Located close to the community

• Space clear of enclosing high shrubs and hedges

• Provides opportunities for exercise

• Landscape scale

• Accessible to all users including disabled users, parents with buggies and the elderly.

• Open and safe walkways and passages

• Provides places for social interaction

• Good natural surveillance

• Habitat connectivity

• Provides surfaced, high quality paths

• Well lit

• Appropriate facilities meeting needs, e.g. play facilities, bins, benches etc.

• Perception of care

• Catering for all age groups

• Woodland

• Landscape rarity • Attractive setting for urban area • Quality materials, equipment and furniture

• Allows movement within site

• Attractive plants and landscape element

• Clear, accessible entrances in the right places

• Welcoming boundaries and entrance areas

• Offers connecting path network out of the site and signage

• Noise quality

• Bike friendly

• Habitat size • Ecotones • Habitat naturalness

• Grassland

• Hedgerows • Wetlands

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis This plan shows the different typologies of openspace within the survey area. The quantity of openspace within the survey extent is high for an urban area, particularly on the northwest side of the town centre moving up to Seafar Wood. The south-east edge of the town centre is not as well provided for.

Openspace Typology

The dominant typology is amenity greenspace, with a high proportion of the siteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key function being to act as a setting for residential or public buildings. Much of the openspace in the town centre is space around carparks. Along Central Way there are numerous pockets of roadside openspace which are inaccessible. There are a number of green corridors running into the town centre which provide an opportunity for movement to both people and wildlife. On the northern edge of the town centre, moving toward Seafar Wood there are some examples of dense natural or semi-natural woodland. There is a low level or civic space even in the town centre. Those civic spaces that do exist generally score below potential in the quality assessment.

Key Amenity Greenspace Civic Space Green Corridor Natural or Semi-Natural Greenspace Playspace Playspace within other typologies

Cumbernauld Green Infrastructure Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Amenity Greenspace The majority of the amenity greenspace sites consist mainly of amenity grassland. In places (such as Site 18 pictured above) this is appropriate, providing an attractive setting for residencies and space for children to play close to home. However in others, it is unused, costly to maintain and offers minimal benefits to wildlife. Many of these sites lie next to wooded areas planted to mitigate noise pollution. In places the boundary between these two habitats has been handled sensitively, with woodland â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;edgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; planting or ecotones providing a visual graduation making the woodland seem less threatening and providing greater opportunities for wildlife. Amenity greenspace in the town centre is generally well cared for, but merely fills space between buildings rather than performing any specific function.

Civic Space The Cumbernauld Town Centre Health Check highlights the lack of key civic space in the town centre. All the civic spaces considered in this survey perform below potential. The standard of paving and other materials is generally poor. None of the sites surveyed successfully deliver the key functions of civic space such as providing meeting places and good locations for events. The civic space which scored highest was Tryst Walk. This space is extremely important in terms of accessing the Town Centre and ease of movement within it. At the southern edge of the site events occasionally occur and Costa has an outdoor seating area. The majority of Tryst Walk is dominated visually by surrounding car parks. Investment has been made in high quality street furniture, but they have been poorly placed. As the well connected largest open space in the town centre, Tryst Walk has a great deal of potential.

Green Corridor As a legacy of the design principle to segregate pedestrians from vehicles, there are a significant number of green corridors running through residential areas and into Cumbernauld town centre. This is a positive characteristic of the town. It is extremely beneficial to wildlife particularly north of the town centre where green corridors provide links to the substantial habitat of Seafar Wood. The overall scores of the green corridors vary widely. Sites with quality paving, good lighting and well managed woodland provide pleasant routes which encourage active travel. Other green corridors have under managed, dense woodland which encroaches on path networks. These create a perception of danger and facilitate anti-social behaviour which can be a problem in this openspace typology.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Natural or Semi-Natural Greenspace Woodland areas were categorised as Natural or SemiNatural Greenspace if there was no or limited access preventing them being a green corridor. The majority of this woodland however, will have been planted in the 1950s, making this typology name slightly misleading. Many of these sites suffer from antisocial behaviour, effecting the attractiveness and perception of danger in and around the site. Almost all sites without paths have well-trodden desire lines running through them. In places Natural or Semi-natural greenspace runs right up to the edge of residencies. There is evidence of residents feeling this is a threat to their security south of the town centre where locals have patched up and increased the height of fences along the perimeter of a woodland site. This typology of openspace has its challenges, but it is generally attractive and makes a positive contribution to the character of Cumbernauld.

Playspace The quality of play parks in Cumbernauld is generally very low. Much of the equipment is either broken, old or has not been repainted in many years. The only play park in the study area which seems to have received investment in new equipment recently is the play park in Carbrain Glen (Site 51). Although elements of this site have suffered from vandalism it has been well specified to withstand such anti-social behaviour and according a local resident receives high levels of use. Within the study area there are a encouraging number of accessible sport pitches (Sites 22, 49, 51, 15 and 67). The quality of these varies significantly, though the worst quality sport pitch is due to be built over. Many of these sport pitches are located next to schools and are generally for school use but accessible outside of school hours. This was a intelligent design decision which increases the benefit of these spaces to the local community.

Public parks & gardens, Derelict or leftover space & Allotments and community growing space Within the study area there are no public parks or allotments and community growing spaces. Part of the reason for the lack of parks in the town centre is the fact that many residential areas are catered for by their surrounding amenity greenspace. It would have been beneficial to have less greenspace which then could then have received a higher standard of maintenance and investment. However, the layout of Cumbernauld Town Centre and surrounding areas does not lend itself to the creation of a public park and is not something the community really needs. There is one example of derelict space in the town centre, on the corner of St Mungoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s road. However this will be built on shortly so it has not been recorded.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Attractive and Appealing Places

Overall average score for attractive and appealing places

0% 10% 20% 28

30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis Attractive and Appealing Places

Attractive with a positive image Landscape scale Landscape rarity Attractive setting for urban area Quality materials, equipment & furniture Attractive plants & landscape element Welcoming boundaries & entrance areas Noise quality

5 2 3 5 4 5 3 3

Good Example - Site 28, New Town Hall

Throughout the survey area there was a wide variation in scores for attractive and appealing places, with the greatest deviation occurring within the town centre boundary. On the whole however, Cumbernauld openspace performed reasonably well with over half of the sites scoring between 50 and 60. At this point it is important to make the obvious point that this is an extremely subjective characteristic to assess. Although the scoring system was designed to reduce subjectivity as much as possible, it will have affected the survey.

Noise quality Welcoming boundaries & entrance areas Attractive plants & landscape element Quality materials, equipment & furniture Attractive setting for urban area Landscape rarity Landscape scale Attractive with a positive image 0

Civic space tended to perform badly here as they generally consist of paved spaces with little or no greenery to break them up. Natural or Semi-natural space also tended to score badly due to the evidence of anti-social behaviour. Quality materials, equipment and furniture, which provide benefits both in terms of their use and in increasing visual appeal, did poorly outside of the town centre and only marginally better within it. There is a serious deficit of benches throughout Cumbernauld, which is an issue for a town with an aging population.

This site is well maintained and has received a recent investment in planting and materials. Attractive with a positive image 2 Some of the original cast concrete has been Landscape scale 2 power washed giving this characteristic Landscape 3 62rarity Overall average score =Attractive setting for Cumbernauld feature a new lease of life. urban area 2 Quality materials, equipment & furniture Attractive plants & landscape element Welcoming boundaries & entrance areas Noise quality

3 0 2 1

Poor Example - Site 33, Square adjacent to Fleming House

Sites throughout did not perform very well in terms of welcoming boundaries and entrance areas. This is for a variety of reasons including overgrown entrances, the proximity of roads, lack of paths or indications that you can walk in certain places. This causes problems with the legibility of spaces and discourages active travel. A signage project in and around the town centre has done something to alleviate the problem.

Noise quality Welcoming boundaries & entrance areas Attractive plants & landscape element Quality materials, equipment & furniture Attractive setting for urban area Landscape rarity Landscape scale

Throughout the survey area, Cumbernauld generally performed well in terms of attractive plants and landscape element. Noise quality is generally poor throughout Cumbernauld, however, due to the proximity of major roads. Tree cover provides an ecosystem service in mitigating this problem. Within the survey area the Carbrain area openspaces scored highest for noise quality. The key problems which resulted in some openspaces scoring below average for this criteria were a lack of quality materials, unclear entrances and anti-social behaviour in less accessible sites.

Attractive with a positive image 0

Overall average score =

This site acts as a key connecting space enabling people to access the Central Way Link bridge. However, visually the square is poor with nothing to break up the space, no planted element and unattractive mismatched paving.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Accessible and Well Connected Places

Roadside land inaccessible for safety reasons has been omitted from this plan.

10 16 40

Overall average score for accessible and well connected places

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust Bike friendly Offers connecting path network & signage Clear, accessible entrances in the right places Allows movement within site Provides surfaced, high quality paths Accessible to all users Located close to the community

5 4 4 3 3 4 5

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis Accessible and Well Connected Places

Good Example - Site 2, Shopping Trolley Walkway

The original footpath network, designed to enable residents to move throughout the town without walking beside roads, has resulted in good levels of accessibility. Problems occur when the quickest, simplest route involves following the road as most roads do not have pavements. This is a real issue, a design decision taken to increase safety now results in residents walking or running down dangerous roads.

Located close to the community Accessible to all users Provides surfaced, high quality paths Allows movement within site Clear, accessible entrances in the right… Offers connecting path network & signage

Due to the scale of the footpath network, maintaining it to a high standard is difficult. For ‘Provides surfaced high quality paths’ openspaces with paths which are part of the Core Path Network score highly. Many spaces however have paths which were once high quality with attractive cobbled paving detail, but are now in serious need of replacement or repair. Examples include Site 10 and Site 40. On the whole, openspace scored well for being located close to the community. This is an area where Cumbernauld would out compete many other towns, as the vast majority of residents can easily access openspace. Most spaces also did well in being accessible to all users, including disabled users, parents with buggies and the elderly. There is a good level of disabled access provision. Few sites received the top score in this area though, as a lack of resting places on routes into the town centre could deter older and less able residents from walking in. This is a particular problem for Cumbernauld due to an aging population and the town centre being located on the top of a hill.

Bike friendly 0

Although perhaps not an extremely attractive site, this space provides a important connection Bike friendly 0 fornetwork residential areas to the north-east into the Offers connecting path & signage 3 townincentre. Clear, accessible entrances the right The placessite features 1a good quality 59 pathsitewith a handrail for less able 1 users and good Overall average score Allows = movement within Provides surfaced, high quality paths 0 signage. Accessible to all users Located close to the community

0 4

Poor Example - Site 16, Seafar Road woodland fragment Located close to the community Accessible to all users Provides surfaced, high quality paths Allows movement within site

‘Offers connecting path network and signage’ was a criteria the survey area performed well in. The issue here is that although in most places a connecting path network exists, it is not always clear. A successful signage project recently implemented by the council has done much to tackle this problem. The signage project could be enhanced further by using signposts to not only mark the way into town, but also the way back out. Throughout the survey area there are no clear invitations to cycle. There are no bike lanes and no bike-racks outside of Tryst Walk. Some routes into town are wide enough to comfortably accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, but many are not. Plans for signed cycle routes running through Cumbernauld are currently underway however, so cyclist provision may improve shortly.

Clear, accessible entrances in the right… Offers connecting path network & signage Bike friendly 0

Overall average score =

Good quality woodland, but high levels of antisocial behaviour and worn desire lines give the site a negative image. The main value of the site seems to be at act as a noise buffer to mitigate noise pollution from Seafar Road.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Safe Places

12 19

Overall average score for safe places

0% 10% 31 61

20% 30% 40%

53 60

50% 60% 70% 80%

90% 100%

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis Safe Places

Perception of care Well lit Good natural surveillance Open, safe walkways and passages

4 5 4 3

Space clear of enclosing high shrubs & hedges

Good Example - Site 61, Hillcrest linking space

Perception of danger in openspace within Cumbernauld is a real issue. Not only in effecting peoples use and experience of openspace, but also in influencing those in a position to improve it. Fear of vandalism and misuse deters stakeholders from investing in facilities which would benefit the whole community. For example, there were objections to the installation of Carbrain Gully play park due to concerns that it would be vandalised. There has been some evidence of this with the fronts of new bins being ripped off, but otherwise the play park has remained intact and is well used. Cumbernauld also faces challenges in terms of perception of safety due to the towns high level of tree cover. Research undertaken by Forest Research has found that people, especially women, tend to perceive the risk of crime in wooded areas to be far higher than the actual risk of crime. In this audit woodland areas performed below average for the criteria ‘Safe Places’. A way in which landscape design and management can alleviate this problem is by maintaining open walkways clear of encroaching vegetation. For an area with such high levels of urban woodland to maintain, Cumbernauld scored well for ‘Spaces clear of high shrubs and hedges’. There were some notable exceptions though, include site 66, 60, 53, 19 and 12.

Space clear of enclosing high shrubs & hedges Open, safe walkways and passages Good natural surveillance Well lit Perception of care 0

Space clear of enclosing high shrubs & hedges

Poor Example - Site 31, Cornerstone corridor Space clear of enclosing high shrubs & hedges

Underpasses throughout the town centre and surrounding areas have a negative effect on performance for ‘Open and safe walkways and passages’. Two underpasses that are particularly intimidating, due partially to overgrown vegetation, are those running under North Carbrain Road linking Hill Crest to Carbrain.

Open, safe walkways and passages Good natural surveillance Well lit Perception of care

There is no particular spatial trend to perception of care. For the most part the town centre receives a reasonable level of care. One site which lets the area surrounding it down is Site 29, the space around the health centre. Another town centre site which performs poorly here is Site 31 (shown here on the right). In Cumbernauld, where walkways are often separate from the road resulting in poor natural surveillance, it is vital for perception of safety to be given high priority in design and management decisions. Failing to address this will result in residents relying increasingly on their cars while greenspace degenerates further due to lack of use.

This example shows that vegetation does not always increase the perception of fear in openspaces. Here the main walkway is set back Perception of care from the wooded edge1of the space. The site Well lit 2 benefits from natural surveillance and newly Good natural surveillance 0 70 Open, safe walkways and passages 2 installed high quality lighting. Overall average score =

Overall average score =

This is an important site in the town centre, as at night when the shopping centre is closed, it is a key means of access the bus station. Due to the sites position, wedged in between Tesco and the Town Centre building, it has very low levels of natural surveillance and high levels of litter which give it a perception of being uncared for.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Places active in supporting health and well-being

Overall average score for places active in supporting health and well-being

0% 10% 20% 30% 30

40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

90% 100%

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis Catering for all age groups Appropriate facilities meeting needs, e.g. play facilities, bins, benches etc. Provides places for social interaction Provides opportunities for exercise

Places active in supporting health and well-being

Play parks are an important asset for promoting exercise and social interaction. Encouraging exercise and activity in children is a key priority of current Scottish Government Policy. Play parks also provide a place for parents to meet and interact. As previously mentioned many play parks in Cumbernauld are poor quality and could be doing more to encourage exercise in young children. Excluding play parks however, Cumbernauld facilitates play and exercise in children very effectively. The path network set back from the road and good levels of natural surveillance encourage parents to allow quite young children to play out with minimal supervision. Alleyways are used by children on bikes and go-carts. Despite a warning from a local resident that the surveyor might be harassed or mugged, the majority of interest shown was from children playing who were curious about what she was doing.

5 5 3

Good Example - Site 30, Seating area at Health Centre

‘Places active in supporting health and wellbeing’ is perhaps the hardest of the 5 criteria to assess effectively. The aim was to try and discover if the openspace was contributing to residents quality of life by providing opportunities to exercise, meet and interact. Openspaces which link to create a movement network provide opportunities for exercise, simply by giving local residents the option to walk or cycle. Therefore due to Cumbernauld’s extensive footpath network, openspaces tend to score well in this area. They could have scored better if there had been greater provision for cyclists.

Provides opportunities for exercise Provides places for social interaction Appropriate facilities meeting needs, e.g. play facilities, bins, benches etc. Catering for all age groups 0

This seating area is rare within Cumbernauld and sees a good level of use. The space is well laid out and well positioned to give less able Catering for all age groups 2 residents a rest if they have walked up the hill Appropriate facilities meeting needs, e.g. play from Carbrain to reach the town centre. facilities, bins, benches etc. 1 64 Provides places for social interaction 2 Overall average score = Provides opportunities for exercise

Poor Example - Site 58, Hillcrest walkway Provides opportunities for exercise Provides places for social interaction Appropriate facilities meeting needs, e.g. play facilities, bins, benches etc.

Scores for ‘Provides places for social interaction’ varied widely. Some areas of Cumbernauld have a low number of meeting places, this again, may be a reflection of concerns about the misuse of such spaces. As in many areas of the audit, the openspace to the north-west of the town centre outperforms the openspace to the south-east of the town centre. Meeting spaces which do exist seem to receive high levels of use, for example the seating area near the Health Centre pictured here on the right. Civic spaces in the town centre should be providing more opportunity for social interaction than they currently are.

Catering for all age groups 0

Overall average score =

On the whole this is a pleasant site. However, the play area attached to it has very poor quality equipment and this uncared for space has a negative impact on the wider surroundings. The site is located close to sheltered housing, which could enable grandparents who otherwise could not to take their grandchildren to the play park.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Biodiverse Places

Overall average score biodiverse places

0% 32

10% 20% 30% 40%

50% 60% 70% 80% 55

90% 100%

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis Biodiverse Places

Wetlands Hedgerows Woodland Grassland Habitat connectivity Habitat naturalness Eco-tones Habitat size

0 2 4 4 4 4 5 3

Good Example - Site 13, Green corridor between Seafar Rd & A8011

In terms of biodiversity, there is a greater spatial trend than with other criteria. There is a gradual decline in level of biodiversity moving south from Seafar Wood. Biodiversity in the town centre is low, which is unsurprising in a heavily urbanised environment. Despite this, civic spaces in the centre could easily offer greater biodiversity benefits. There are, however, fragments of land in the town centre with reasonable biodiversity value such as Site 7 and 32. Site 32 is inaccessible land lying on the verge of the Central Way. It is a small habitat area and poorly connected, but has high biodiversity value with good quality woodland, shrub layer and grassland. ‘Stepping stones’ like this which provide connections between larger habitats can be very valuable. There is less openspace south of the town centre and what there is has lower biodiversity value. This is partly due to the lack of woodland in this area. Woodland is a defining feature for much of Cumbernauld and is very beneficial for wildlife. Much of the woodland in the survey area lacks a proper understorey, due partly to trampling. On certain sites there are high quality stand alone trees and in other places high quality avenues. ‘Ecotones’ or the spaces of transition where two habitats meet, form a niche for certain species and are very beneficial for biodiversity. Some woodland sites in Cumbernauld have high quality ecotones, but the majority do not.

Habitat size Eco-tones Habitat naturalness Habitat connectivity Grassland Woodland Hedgerows Wetlands 0

Overall

Wetlands Hedgerows Woodland average score = Grassland Habitat connectivity Habitat naturalness Eco-tones Habitat size

This site has a range of habitat types. It features an area of semi-mature woodland with strong ecotones. The grass has been allowed to grow very long in certain areas and has a variety of 0 wildflower species growing within it. The edge 1 of the long grass 1 is mown with amenity grass to give the space0a perception of care.

Poor Example - Site 25, Tryst Walk

1 1 0 0

Habitat size Eco-tones

Few sites scored well in habitat size or habitat naturalness. The vast majority of the habitat within the survey area was ‘man-made’ when the new town was built in the 1950s. Sites north-east of the town centre performed well for habitat connectivity. This is partially due to the proximity of Seafar Wood, but also because in this area the openspace forms a mesh like structure running towards the town centre and also along, following the road layout. This is very positive in terms of connectivity. Grassland within the survey area is generally poor, with amenity grass dominating the groundcover. In the audit the term ‘Hedgerows’ was given to all forms of shrub. Throughout the survey area, the remains of hedgerows which once formed field boundaries can be found. An example can be seen on Site 7. This is a key relic of the local landscapes past, but lack of maintenance has caused the hedgerows to degenerate substantially.

Habitat naturalness Habitat connectivity Grassland Woodland Hedgerows Wetlands 0

Overall average score =

Tryst Walk covers a considerable area of ground and could be providing far greater biodiversity benefits than at present. At the moment the only habitat features present are poor quality shrubs, somewhat randomly caged next to the Tryst centre and some rather forlorn street trees.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Overall Openspace score

Overall average score for openspaces

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Openspace Survey - Result Analysis

Cumbernauld does have a great deal of openspace which is a key asset to the town. The challenge is there is almost too much, stretching maintenance and council budgets in too many different directions at once. Investment should be focussed on key areas or spaces which are seriously underperforming. Woodland in Cumbernauld also poses a real challenge. It has the potential to be very attractive and positive for biodiversity, as well as contributing to Cumbernauldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of place, but it also causes conflict with issues of perception of safety and anti-social behaviour. Green corridors running into town provide local residents with an opportunity to exercise and regularly spend time in a pleasant environment. Certain examples of these, such as Carbrain Gully have seen investment and are now valued by the local community. However, many intended routes into town have become piecemeal, with sites disconnected from each other featuring unwelcoming boundaries and entrances. Creating a continuous flow of spaces running in and out of the town centre should be a future priority. Concerns over misuse and abuse of facilities, as well as tightening budgets have resulted in a lack of investment in amenities such as benches and play park equipment. These amenities are still important and the need for them should not be ignored. For an urban area, Cumbernauld has great potential to enhance biodiversity. The existing woodland structure north of the town centre is strong and woodland south of the town centre could be enhanced. Many actions could be taken to improve biodiversity within the town centre. Amenity greenspace along major roads could be used to further increase biodiversity.

Wildflower planting on Site 32 in the Town Centre

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategy

This document aims to propose changes which would help to make Cumbernauld a better place for people and wildlife. Analysing the results of the Openspace audit allowed the vision statement to be broken down into key aims. Further analysis allowed the identification of sites where change would help to realise the overall vision. The figure below shows how the overall vision statement relates to the proposals made in the following pages.

A Vision for the centre of Cumbernauld which will build upon existing green assets, links to wider green networks and make Cumbernauld a better place for people and wildlife.

Vision Aims

Strategic Proposals

To improve the existing green network in Cumbernauld

An overall design approach for key Green Routes in and out of the Town Centre

To create strong Civic space in the Town Centre

To make Cumbernauld a more friendly place for people of all ages

To improve Cumbernauld Streetscapes

Design proposal for a potential key civic space

Study area wide proposals to improve play facilities and seating

Streetscape recommendations and design proposal for one streetscape

To improve the quality of spaces in and around the Town Centre

Design proposals for poor quality sites

To make Cumbernauld a more friendly place for Wildlife

Study area wide proposals to improve woodland connections and increase biodiversity

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

n Co

links to wider green networks s and n o cti

Impr ove d

Wo o

dl an

Strategy

More meeting places and opportunities to rest

Safer more attractive Roads

Key Civic Space

Improved Entrances into the Town Centre Improved playspace

Conceptual Sketch of the Cumbernauld Green Network Vision.

Green Routes into the Town Centre

Increased Biodiversity throughout Cumbernauld

Cumbernauld Green Infrastructure Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Green Routes

The long term improvement of key Green Routes is a simple, relatively inexpensive way to strengthen the green network. Using the information gathered in the openspace survey, key green routes in and out of the Town Centre have been identified. A challenge faced by Cumbernauld is the sheer quantity of openspace stretching maintenance and investment costs. Concentrating investment on sites along these routes will allow the formation of cohesive attractive journeys through Cumbernauld.

2. 7. Proposed Green Routes in and out of the Town Centre Key entrances to the Town Centre Existing Greenspace

Wildlife Reserves & Wildlife Sites 3. Buildings within Town Centre Town Centre boundary Study area boundary

5. 4.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Green Routes Green Route 4 -

This green route has been selected to illustrate the approaches which should be taken to all the Cumbernauld key green routes. The plan below shows Green Routes 4 and how a series of openspace sites can be linked to provide a pleasant route. All the routes have some existing good quality sites where little or no improvement is necessary. Time and effort should be invested in other, poorer quality sites on the routes to raise them to a similar high standard. The same material palette and street furniture

should be applied to all the sites along each route to give a sense of continuity. A good quality site on green route 4 is Site 55, shown here on the bottom right. This site provides considerable benefits to the local community in the form of space for community functions such as bonfires, an attractive setting for the primary school and an opportunity for exercise in the form of a football pitch. It also features native mature Oaks providing biodiversity value. Characteristics of this site should be carried over to poorer quality sites along the route such as Site 57.

Mature Oak trees with high biodiversity value

Town Centre

Football pitch - easily accessible opportunity for activity

Use of cobbles which are a material characteristic of Cumbernauld and increase sense of place

Site used by the community for annual bonfire

Underpass

Site 57 - location of indicative green route proposal visual (page 28) Site 55

Green Route 4

Site 55 - Existing good quality space on Green Route 4

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Green Routes

Bad Better Best

Many types of wildlife including bats are negatively effected by overly lit areas. Choosing lighting which minimises light pollution is beneficial to wildlife and to local residencies.

Where appropriate, planting native tree species along green routes (particularly south-east of the town centre) will strengthen connections between different woodland areas.

Creation of ramps for cyclists, less able users and parents with buggies. Amenity grass has very low biodiversity value. Long grass and wildflowers in Carbrain Gully have been well received by the local community. A similar approach could be used along other green routes. The current paving in this space is very poor quality. Wide paths using the same materials as other sites in along the route will improve access and create a sense of consistency along the corridor.

Proposals for improvement of Green Route 4, Site 57 improvement

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Green Routes

Underpasses As with many of the green routes into the town centre, green route 4 features an underpass. Underpasses in Cumbernauld have a negative effect on the perception of safety. People feel uncomfortable moving through them, especially at night. This is difficult issue to combat as it is hardwired into humans to feel uncomfortable in enclosed spaces with few exit options. One solution to consider is to bypass underpasses all together. With some underpasses in Cumbernauld, such as Site 57, providing means of accessing the road and improved pavements would enable pedestrians to avoid the underpasses if need be.

Craiglinn Underpass, Cumbernauld

Garscube Link , North Glasgow

There are approaches which can be adopted to make underpasses less intimidating. A key one is lighting. Many of the underpasses in Cumbernauld are poorly lit or not lit at all. Lighting can also create a sense of playfulness in the space, by using different colours. This has been applied successfully in Craiglinn underpass in Cumbernauld outside of the study area. This is a really positive example of what could be done in the Town Centre. The proposal for improving the underpass on the boundary of site 57 uses similar design ideas. Murals in underpasses are also a good idea. If they are designed by or with the input of local residents this also deters graffiti. The Craiglinn underpass designs where created with input from the local high school and the underpass is remarkably graffiti free years after the mural was painted. Painting the inside of the underpass a light colour helps to make the space seem larger. Bright colours in and around underpasses can also be used to make them seem lighter and less intimidating. Garscube Link in Glasgow uses bright red resin surface to give the space a vibrant feel.

Alternative route to road

Vision for improved underpass area on Site 57 on Green Roue 4

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Civic Space

The lack of quality civic space in the Town Centre is mentioned in the Cumbernauld Town Centre Framework and this was further highlighted by the results of the openspace audit. All the civic space sites in Cumbernauld performed well below potential. Strong civic spaces are needed to provide opportunities for events within the town centre, as well as being attractive connecting spaces on a day to day basis. There is increasing policy support advocating the importance of town centres. Quality spaces within the town centre will help to draw people in and encourage them to stay. The three key sites in the Town Centre which have been identified for improvement are the space beside Fleming House, Tryst Walk and the space between St. Mungo’s Church and a town centre entrance.

Fleming House Square

Tryst Walk

St Mungo’s Square Fleming House Square

Tryst Walk

St Mungo’s Square

This site forms an important connection to the New Link Bridge which is a key means of traversing the town centre. After investing in a high quality bridge, it would be worthwhile improving it’s entrance area. Seating, better paving and street trees would also provide Fleming House with an attractive setting. Tryst Walk is the most important central space in Cumbernauld. The northern end could be improved with a stronger tree avenue and screens to draw focus away from the car park. Planting, rather than being contained by a fence could be bordered by a feature wall which would also act as seating. This is the site in Cumbernauld which is most intensively used as civic space. Currently people tend to sit on a cobbled feature due to lack of seating. Better paving, seating and slightly improved planting would make a big difference here. The band stand feature could also have a covering installed.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Civic Space

Tryst Walk

Potential central civic square space Investment in the improvement of Tryst Walk would make a significant difference to the centre of Cumbernauld. It is the most important site in terms of accessibility in the town centre, the most heavily used site and it also provides an important transition from the outside to the shopping centres where most amenities are located. The Town Centre Healthcheck found that local residents often prefer to shop in other shopping centres. Improving the urban realm around the shopping centres would improve the appeal of Cumbernauld Town Centre as a retail destination. By considering Tryst Walk as a series of different spaces, it is possible to identify how these spaces could provide meaningful benefits to the communities in Cumbernauld. One such space is the area between the Antonine Shopping Centre, the Central Health Centre and the New College Lanarkshire. There is a great deal of wasted space in this

location. By increasing the paved area and using steps which merge into an curved ramp to deal with the level change, it would be possible to create good sized urban square. This would act as a entrance space for the shopping centre, a meeting space, a space for events and an attractive setting for the college and health centre. Additional trees bordering the site would shelter the space. Part of the reason activities such as stalls and bouncy castles tend to set up at the southern end of Tryst Walk is that it is much less exposed than the northern end. It might also be worth investing in some public artwork on Tryst Walk. Around Cumbernauld there are now numerous pieces of work from the sculptor Andy Scott. This has a positive contribution to sense of place. However the location of most of these artworks allows them to be seen best by vehicle users and not pedestrians. Vehicle users are too often prioritised in the design of Cumbernauld and this needs to stop.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Facilities

Facilities Good natural surveillance Seating placed in pleasant setting

The general lack of facilities in Cumbernauld was an issue raised in all the community consultations. The findings of the openspace survey confirmed that there is a serious lack of seating and quality play facilities in Cumbernauld. Observations made during the collection of the survey data found that the existing play and seating facilities which do exist are extremely well used. There is definitely a need for greater investment in this area.

Set back from main path allowing pedestrians to avoid walking past if necessary

Seating Part of the reason for the lack of seating facilities in Cumbernauld is the concern that they would become places where people would sit and drink, intimidating other local residents. Although this is a valid concern, there is evidence from community consultations that Cumbernauld residents still support more seating facilities, despite awareness of this issue. While completing the survey over the time frame of a week and a half, the surveyor witnessed only one incident of seating being used for outdoor drinking, but witnessed very high levels of use by families with small children, the elderly and disabled users. The concern that seating areas will be either misused or vandalised is not a strong enough reason to withhold these facilities, but neither should this concern be ignored. By carefully selecting places for new seating and good design it is possible to mitigate these issues. New seating areas should receive good levels of natural surveillance, without being close enough to housing to threaten residents. Having seating along key routes is important to allow less able residents to rest on the way in and out of town. Setting seating back from the main path will allow residents to bypass seating if it was being utilised by anti-social groups. Carefully selecting seating which will be durable to vandalism will prevent further investments and repairs being made. Another key point to consider when placing seating is whether people will want to sit there. A large proportion of all the benches in Cumbernauld face onto carparks and roads. For a town with a wealth of green resources, it seems a shame not to give residents more of an opportunity to appreciate them.

ted alo n

gk ey ro

ute

Recommendation for future bench placements

Poorly located benches facing onto carparks

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Facilities

Play = Play park

La ck

The general consensus that play provision is particularly poor in Cumbernauld became clear through the Community Consultation review. Cumbernauld town centre and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s periphery has only four playspaces, excluding football pitches. These are generally poor quality with one consisting of only a single slide. All these play parks are located on the southern side of Cumbernauld centre leaving the area north of the town centre unprovided for. There is a very good quality play park located in Cumbernauld Community Park on the northern side of the M80, but this is difficult for residents of central Cumbernauld without cars to reach. Play parks provide opportunities for exercise and fun in the natural environment. They are also useful resources for single or less financially able parents. Improving the existing play facilities and the provision of a new, high quality play park north of the town centre would do a great service to young families in Cumbernauld.

ace p s ay Pl

Investment in this area could be used as an opportunity to create natural play spaces. These are gaining popularity throughout the U.K. and investment in opportunities for natural play is a recognised part of the Scottish Government Early Years Framework. Natural playspaces have many benefits which apply to Cumbernauld in particular. They are adverse to vandalism. It is harder to graffiti a rock than it is a swing. They encourage children to play creatively and to participate in and enjoy the natural environment. The example below shows how natural playspaces can be beneficial in deprived areas.

Case Study: Bourne Estate Playspace & Community Garden, Camden The Bourne Estate Playspace is a natural play and seating area located on a previously poorly used area of amenity grass in Camden, London. Initially local residents were concerned that investment in this space would increase anti-social behaviour. Shape, the landscape architects responsible, took this into consideration and created a design which steered activity away from the residences while receiving good levels of natural surveillance. Standard and informal seating was provided along with natural play items including boulders, landform and a balancing and climbing dead tree. The site is now used not only by children, but other local residents and office workers on lunch breaks. As a result of greater use, anti-social behaviour which occurred prior to the creation of the design has decreased.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Streetscapes

Cumbernauld was designed to allow pedestrians to move through the town without having to walk beside traffic. However, in many cases the simplest route to a destination is along the road. This has led to people walking or running down roads without pavements. Often these are residential roads where the threat of being injured by a vehicle is low, but they are also busier, more dangerous roads. This results in worn desire lines which have a negative effect on the overall visual amenity of the area. However appealing the footpath network may become, in certain places walking along roads will be faster or easier therefore people will chose this option. In response to this, the creation of new pavements would improve accessibility and safety in Cumbernauld. There are roads where the original layout would make this impossible, but improving key streets with additional paving would make movement through the town centre easier. It would help Cumbernauld become a safer and more legible place. Present design theories, including those advocated by the Scottish Government’s Policy Statement on Street Design, support mixed use streets which cater for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle users. Further improving streetscapes with the addition of street trees and quality lighting would make the roads seem more attractive and appealing. It would also give pedestrians options at night when well-lit streets might be preferable to footpaths running though wooded areas.

Improved Streetscapes - South Muirhead Road South Muirhead Road is the only ‘conventional’ street in the Town Centre. The street has a hotel, restaurants, shops, the police station and a job centre. It also has an attractive wooded space linking it to Asda. However, access up and down the street is limited with the pavement simply running out at points. This results in eroded grassy edges to the road which are inconvenient to maintain due to their size (see image above on the left). By simply installing good quality pavement along the street and adding street trees, South Muirhead Road could become an attractive and welcoming streetscape. This is also enough space to trial drainage ditches or swales. This would alleviate flood pressure in other areas.

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Poor Quality Sites

In the openspace audit, a few sites within the town centre or immediately outside of it performed very poorly. Very simple changes to these sites could make a big difference to their quality, which in turn will raise the standard of openspace in the town centre. The proposals below illustrate how these changes could be made. (see Appendix 1, p41 for sites detailed location).

Site 31

Site 16 & 17

This space forms a key connection to the bus station, particularly after dark. The site is wedged between Tesco and a loading area for the Town Centre. As a result of the proximity of Tesco, much of the space is heavily shaded and grass grows poorly along the path. There is also a great deal of debris from the seagulls which roost on the Tesco roof. Shade tolerant sedges planted along the path would grow better here than amenity grass and would have an attractive texture. Trees would break up the space, draw attention from the loading area and intercept some of the seagull debris. A ramp curving through the northern half of the site should also be added to allow less able users to move through the space.

Sites 16 and 17 are two wooded greenspaces running along Seafar Road. Site 17 then runs up along Fleming Road into the town centre. Both show evidence of anti-social behaviour in the form of small fire pits and significant litter at points in each site. There are sporadic stretches of pathway through site 17. Where there is no path, desire lines have formed and the sites are clearly used as through routes. Creating a continuous path though these two sites will not make them any more accessible to anti-social groups, but it would give the sites a sense of being a legitimate, cohesive route. The areas of both sites which have the least evidence of anti-social behaviour are those with existing paths. With the exception of instances of misuse, these sites are very pleasant and locals should be able to appreciate them.

Now...

Potentially....

Now...

Potentially....

Strategic Proposals - Improved Biodiversity

Cumbernauld needs to be more than a good place for people, it needs to also be a good place for wildlife. There are some strong habitats close to the centre of Cumbernauld such as Seafar Wood and Cumbernauld Glen. Recently, the return of the Pine Marten to the vicinity of Cumbernauld has shown that good management can draw wildlife back into urban areas.

Seafar Wood Improve connecti between ons major ha bitats in area

‘Biodiverse’ or ‘Green’ Identity

er n

auld G len

A point which was raised in the Town Centre Framework was the lack of civic pride and sense of identity in Cumbernauld. The dominating presence of the town centre buildings are seen to represent Cumbernauld more than it’s surrounding greenspace and considerable natural resources. Cumbernauld certainly has the existing assets to qualify as a ‘green town’ or a ‘biodiverse town’. Investing in making it more so and marketing it as such could give local residents something to be proud about their town.

d an l d oo rk w o in tw ap ne

Woodland Woodland is a key characteristic of Cumbernauld and is valued by many local residents, as shown by the community consultation review. The Town Centre is wedged between the woodland wildlife reserves of Seafar Wood and Cumbernauld Glen. South of Seafar Wood tree cover extends down into the town centre providing important connections for wildlife. South of the Town Centre there is a gap in the woodland network. Improving tree cover here along green routes into town would strengthen the woodland network and improve movement of species between the two wildlife reserves.

um b

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Tree Cover in Cumbernauld

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Strategic Proposals - Improved Biodiversity Woodland Edges

Existing edges...

Potential edges...

The edges of woodland are the richest areas for biodiversity. They are important for pollinators and certain species of butterfly as well as foraging for bats and bird species. Pollinators are a particularly important group to target in urban areas. Woodland edges also provide specific niches for plant species which would not flourish in full woodland. Much of the existing woodland in Cumbernauld does not have healthy woodland edges. Often trees grow right up to path edges or residencies with no graduated understorey. This is not only negative for wildlife but creates a very dense, threatening wall of vegetation which can be intimidating to pedestrians and home owners. A gradual stepped edge to woodland, with a strip of amenity grass, then long grass with wildflowers sown in, then shrubs, phasing through to proper woodland is not only more visually pleasing, but creates a greater sense of space. Much of the woodland in Cumbernauld is also planted in rigid blocks. Straight woodland edges do not facilitate the occurrence of individual ecological niches. Undulating woodland edges create more visual interest and provides greater opportunities for wildlife.

Woodland Edge

Woodland

Edge Niche

Niche

Left-over space In Cumbernauld there are huge amounts of vacant amenity grass. Some of this is well used by children for playing and adults for exercise, but much of it is dead space. It is high maintenance, requiring regular cutting and has low value for biodiversity. Amenity grassland could be interspersed with swaves of long grass and potentially areas of wildflowers. By mowing an edge around long grass it gives the area a perception of care and while long grass saves maintenance expenditure on mowing. The implementation of areas of wildflowers is often shied away from based on maintenance concerns. However, wildflower meadows generally need cutting and the mowings removed twice or occasionally only once a year. Amenity grass on the other hand needs to be mown at least 5 times annually. Wildflower strips on roadside verges provide greater biodiversity benefits

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Summary

This report has looked in detail at the current state of the openspace in and around the town centre. Through this process the assets and issues of the area became clear. The aim was to recommend ideas which would enable the vision of a town centre â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;which will build upon existing green assets, links to wider green networks and make Cumbernauld a better place for people and wildlife.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; to be realised. The creation of green route network, better spaces within the town centre, improved facilities, streets and biodiversity were recommended. Hopefully these ideas will be built upon and developed to allow the vision for Cumbernauld Town Centre to be met. The key finding of this report was that despite negative perceptions about Cumbernauld, it has a huge amount to offer in terms of openspace for people and for wildlife. Although it currently has a lot to offer, it could offer so much more. Characteristics which perpetuate negative perceptions, such as poor quality openspace and difficulties moving through the town centre, should be tackled head on. A strong approach should be taken to design issues which have caused difficulty for years. Cumbernauld is the 9th biggest settlement in Scotland and it deserves the investment and attention which will make it a viable town for the future.

Site 36 on the north side of the Town Centre

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Summary

Challenges faced by Cumbernauld Town Centre and this reportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed solutions: Spaces suffering from stretched budgets

Lack of Civic space in the Town centre

Lack of provision for certain age groups

Roads for cars rather than streets for people

Poor quality sites in & near the Town Centre

Sites not living up to biodiversity potential

Focussing investment on a strong Green Network

Civic Space providing community benefits

Play, meeting and seating spaces

Better streets and safer roads

Better quality spaces

Increased Biodiversity and stronger woodland connections

Challenge

Vision Solution

A Vision for the centre of Cumbernauld which will build upon existing green assets, links to wider green networks and make Cumbernauld a better place for people and wildlife. 40

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Appendix 1 - Numbered Surveyed Sites

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Appendix 2 - Openspace Audit Survey Sheet Sheet

Typology

Site Number

Further Comments

Public Parks & Gardens Civic Space Amenity Greenspace Green Corridor Natural or Semi-natural Playspace Derelict or leftover space Allotments and community growing space Private gardens

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Appendix 2 - Openspace Audit Survey Sheet

1. Attractive and Appealing places

Assessment Criteria Attractive with a positive image Landscape scale Landscape rarity Attractive setting for urban area Quality materials, equipment and furniture Attractive plants and landscape element Welcoming boundaries and entrance areas Noise quality

2. Accessible and Wellconnected places

Located close to the community Accessible to all users including disabled users, parents with buggies, the elderly etc. Provides surfaced, high quality paths Allows movement within site Clear, accessible entrances in the right places Offers connecting path network out of the site and signage Bike friendly

Cumbernauld Green Network Vision Scottish Wildlife Trust

Appendix 2 - Openspace Audit Survey Sheet 3. Safe Places

Space clear of enclosing high shrubs and hedges Open and safe walkways and passages Good natural surveillance Well lit Perception of care

4. Places active in supporting health and well-being

Provides opportunities for exercise

5. Biodiverse Places

Habitat size

Provides places for social interaction Appropriate facilities meeting needs, e.g. play facilities, bins, benches etc. Catering for all age groups

Eco-tones Habitat naturalness Habitat connectivity Grassland Woodland Hedgerows Wetlands