Work is underway on a new £6m public park In West Lothian.

The new 78-acre park will include 31,000 newly planted trees providing woodland walks, as well as several play areas, a café, an enclosed dog park, community growing areas and a mountain bike trail.

The greenspace, due to open in spring 2021, is part of £1 billion plan to develop a new town around the village of Winchburgh.

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The development, by Winchburgh Developments Limited, will create more than 3000 new homes at the site, as well as new schools, a new marina and improved transport links.

Tom Conn, executive councillor for the environment at West Lothian Council, said: “We are delighted to have a large District Park being created at Winchburgh, bringing the total number of District Parks in West Lothian to eight overall.

“Not only are we fortunate to have investment in another large area of greenspace for leisure and recreation, but this is a remarkable operation making use of what was once derelict land and turning it into a positive asset.”

Prior to starting the work, which will be carried out by I&H Brown, members of the Winchburgh community and pupils from local primary schools were consulted on what the park should look like.

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Their ideas and feedback have contributed to the design and layout of the park, which will become the town’s largest outdoor recreational venue.

The first trees will be planted at the site this winter after being donated by the local Winchburgh Community Growing Group through the Woodland Trust. 

John Hamilton, CEO of Winchburgh Developments Limited, said: “The new Auldcathie District Park is an integral part of the Winchburgh masterplan, bringing important new green infrastructure to the area and connecting the town via a network of blue and green links.

“The response from the Winchburgh community to this project has been fantastic, and their ideas and recommendations have been incorporated into the final design for the park, which will provide important new recreational facilities benefitting the health and wellbeing of the people living and working here.

 “We will continue to maintain contact with the local community as the park naturally evolves over time.

“Over one and a half acres of the park will be transferred to Winchburgh Community Growers, and we are also assessing wider opportunities for a potential community management scheme on a long-term basis.”

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John West, Winchburgh Community Growing Group, said: "Winchburgh Community Growing Group has been growing fast since June 2018 thanks to the positive response we have had from the local community along with the support from Winchburgh Developments Ltd, which has helped to sow the seeds to our success.  

 “We are super excited and proud to move onto the next phase of our journey – transforming over one and a half acres of the new Auldcathie park into a new space for the community to sow, grow, eat and learn together.”

The masterplan for Winchburgh also includes three further neighbourhood parks – one located next to the Union Canal in the centre of the town, and others at Glendevon and Hawkhill.