John Swinney opens Clyde Gateway’s £3m Rutherglen park extension

The £3.16million extension to Cuningar Loop Woodland Park in Rutherglen, was opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, February 1.

The park, which is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, sits on a former landfill site on the banks of the River Clyde. 

L-R: Alison Thewliss MP, Rosie Robertson, Mike Cantlay, Deputy First Minister John Swinney (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

The Tur (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

The extension adds a further eight hectares to the existing 12 hectares of parkland and the new area includes 1722 metres of footpaths and an extension to the riverside walkway, a teaching amphitheatre created with tree trunks, and 11,000 square metres of wildflower meadow and grassland. 

There are also newly installed facilities including The Bothy, which is a business and community hub with public toilets, an accessible Tur providing treetop views across the park, and Steuart Padwicks’ ‘Hope’, the COP26 Legacy Sculpture which was completed during last November’s conference.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney and Rosie Robertson (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

The major extension has been supported by the Scottish Government's Clyde Mission, which contributed £2.3m as part of its wider aim to revive the Clyde corridor and rejuvenate the local economy.

This was in addition to Green Infrastructure funding from NatureScot.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "It's a fantastic development which takes derelict land which, from what local people tell me, was a real eyesore and a real danger and it turns it into a fabulous woodland environment that it accessible by communities north and south of the River Clyde with great connectivity."

Rosie Robertson, Clyde Gateway board member and local resident, says she feels "proud" of the development.

She said: "I feel really proud of what's been done and grateful because as a local person, I'll get to enjoy this, my grandkids will enjoy this, everybody will.

"And the health benefits of having a space like this, it's so versatile, you can come cycle, you can play, you can go for long walks, or you can just sit and enjoy the views, enjoy the Clyde."

Alison Thewliss MP (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)

Alison Thewliss MP, chair of Clyde Gateway board of trustees, said: "It's a brilliant space that has really been reclaimed because it was a former site of a dump, it wasn't something that was any kind of community asset but through the steady work of Clyde Gateway over the years, this has been brought back into use as a wonderful park. 

"There's folk out walking, jogging, enjoying the space, both from Glasgow and from South Lanarkshire and coming and using it on a daily basis.

"It's flat and it's accessible which is really important as well because a lot of country park-type spaces are really accessible only to people that a very mobile, and this isn't the case here." 

Mike Cantlay, chair of NatureScot, said: "Nature needs to be protected and enhanced in the cities as well as in rural Scotland, it's just as important, but it's also important for people who are in cities who will benefit healthwise in getting out and enjoying it recreationally.

"And certainly when there is the opportunity to take derelict land and get that back into shape so people can access it and get it into shape so it's better for the environment and climate, then that's a win, win, win."

Deputy First Minister John Swinney (Image: Colin Mearns, Newsquest)