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Supply Audit
The Supply Audit examined access that currently exists or is planned for development in North Lanarkshire. All rights of way in the area are claimed (none are asserted or vindicated). Within the area as a whole, there are approximately 1252 people per km of rights of way, as compared to around 355 persons per km in Scotland as a whole. However, these figures should be considered with caution, given that they reflect the lengths of rights of way, and not their current condition.
Path projects make an important contribution to the supply of access in the area as a whole, including the Millennium Link, Cumbernauld New Town Corporation Links, The North Calder Heritage Trail and the work undertaken as part of the Central Scotland Forest Initiative (including under the Woodland Grants Scheme)
The supply of access varies across North Lanarkshire. The following areas and routes are of particular importance:
- Three long distance routes: the Forth and Clyde Canal passing through the Kelvin Valley to the north of the area, the Edinburgh to Glasgow Cycle route which crosses the centre of the area, and the Clyde Walkway which is being developed along the south western edge of North Lanarkshire.
- The North and South Calder river valleys provide key access corridors through the urban and urban-fringe landscapes of central and southern Lanarkshire.
- A cluster of paths and tracks within the Clyde Valley: some are claimed rights of way whilst others are associated with projects.
- Cumbernauld has a relatively dense network of paths, which link the town with the surrounding countryside. Despite this, the town remains constrained by the A80 road corridor to the north.
- The Kelvin Valley is an important lowland corridor, which includes a network of routes around Kilsyth.
- North Lanarkshire also comprises a number of upland areas. The Kilsyth Hills to the north of the area include an extensive network with cross border links. To the east the higher moorland areas have relatively few paths, apart from the area to the south of Harthill.
- A large part of North Lanarkshire is farmland which links low lying urban areas with higher moorlands. There is an uneven distribution of paths and tracks in these areas. Where farm and estate tracks exist, they rarely form a coherent framework.
Demand Audit
The Demand Audit focused on a range of information to assess demand, as expressed in visitor surveys and by numbers of people using routes. The analysis also focused on 'hidden' or latent demand. Latent demand can be defined as areas where activity levels are currently low, but the potential benefits of access are high in terms of its capacity to overcome locally concentrated social exclusion or unhealthy lifestyles.
Previous community consultation highlighted a range of issues. This included the importance of access to many communities in the area, and the need for better management, information and signage to encourage people to walk, cycle and ride more. In each of the areas where consultation was undertaken, people were keen to suggest key local links, which would help to form more complete networks. There were also concerns about routes being lost to new development, and the need to provide safe crossing points on main roads and over the Forth and Clyde Canal were also emphasised.
Additional consultation undertaken during the preparation of North Lanarkshire Council's Transport Strategy suggests that people are relatively reliant on private cars and public transport for most their journeys, and they do not feel that current levels of access provision are adequate.
A questionnaire was also distributed to local community groups to inform the preparation of this strategy. Respondents had mixed views about whether there were already enough paths within the area, or whether more are required. However, as in the transport strategy consultation, many people highlighted the extent to which access to the countryside is dependent on having access to car. Other respondents felt that routes are not adequately signposted, and that the area's major roads act as barriers to accessing the countryside.
The final part of the demand audit focused on patterns of health and social exclusion within North Lanarkshire. The area has one of the poorest health and one of the worst socio-economic situations in Scotland. These two factors are strongly connected, and could, directly and indirectly, be addressed by the Access Strategy. Many residents of North Lanarkshire suffer from diseases related to lifestyle, and their health could be helped by opportunities to take exercise. In turn, walking and cycling have the potential to become a part of peoples' everyday lives, ensuring that positive lifestyle changes can be sustained. Participation in community processes can also have a beneficial effect on physical and mental health.
Pockets of social exclusion exist across the North Lanarkshire area, although it is often linked to more urban concentrations of population. Within these areas there are often fewer off-road paths, and it can be more difficult to reach the countryside. Some 18% of respondents to the Lanarkshire Health and Lifestyle survey were not exercising and did not intend to do so in the following months. Rather than being the groups for whom this access strategy means least, these must be the groups for whom it means most.
Policy Audit
The audit included a review of policy from the national to local levels. Overall, policy at all levels supports the improvement of existing routes and provision of new networks for walking, cycling and riding, although priorities vary. National Agencies such as Scottish Natural Heritage emphasise the need for access management which takes into account environmental impacts. The Paths for All Partnership focuses on ensuring that access is developed in an inclusive way, meeting the needs of people of all ages and abilities.
Recent policy statements have emphasised the importance of paths as an integral part of sustainable local transport strategies. This has been followed up at the local level through North Lanarkshire Council's recent strategy "Delivering Tomorrow: Partnerships for Transportation in North Lanarkshire". The Strategy takes a holistic approach to local transport planning, assigning considerable weight to the principle of healthy, accessible, and sustainable transport. Its three central aims are to achieve:
- a healthy society – where individual choice and lifestyle encourages health, safety and community well-being in a pleasant and attractive environment;
- an inclusive society – where everyone has equal access to opportunities, facilities and resources and individuals participate in shaping the policies affecting them;
- a prosperous society – where economic development and regeneration support sustainable growth for the long term.
Further policy statements have been developed at the local level, including Local Plan policies, and more specific management plans for several country parks and other access areas (e.g. woodlands and nature reserves where access is encouraged). Each of these documents discuss the different benefits, opportunities and problems associated with access in each area of North Lanarkshire. The potential benefits are also underlined in the Central Scotland Forest Strategy, which supports access development. The existing policy framework has therefore been used to directly inform the Action Area Plans, which are set out in Section 5 of this strategy.
Resource Audit
The resource audit explored the wide range of potential sources of support which could be drawn from in implementing the strategy. There is an increasing range of organisations with funds which could be used to support improvements to public access in North Lanarkshire. Funding may be forthcoming not only from organisations traditionally associated with access, such as SNH, but also from less directly involved organisations.
In particular, links between access, health and social exclusion are potentially critical in establishing a strong foundation for accessing funding support. Given that some areas are designated social inclusion partnership areas, it is likely that funds may be secured where benefits for social inclusion and community health can be demonstrated. Possible funding support from Lanarkshire Health Board, perhaps tying in with local initiatives and building on work already being undertaken by community liaison officers, should be explored further as the strategy is implemented. Similarly, European funding and support from the Local Enterprise Company will be more accessible if links between social exclusion, economic development and environmental quality can be made.
Funds linked with regeneration projects in the area are also important in North Lanarkshire. In particular, assistance from the Coalfield Regeneration Trust is likely to be useful for a range of projects, given its broad approach incorporating community development, enterprise, education, employment, environment and innovation.
Despite these opportunities, it should also be noted that there are only limited sources of funding support for revenue as opposed to capital costs, for longer term path management and maintenance. Furthermore, within North Lanarkshire Council, there is currently no single budget dedicated to access and there is a significant shortfall in terms of managing the existing network. This may need to be addressed before the network is developed further.
Whilst mechanisms for planning, managing or implementing initiatives have emerged on an ad-hoc basis, the recent appointment of North Lanarkshire's two Access Officers provides an opportunity for improved co-ordination of initiatives. The new legislation will be likely to require additional commitments relating to management of core path networks, and it is important that a cohesive approach can be developed which allows for funds to be prioritised within North Lanarkshire as a whole. This has been taken into account in developing the Action Plans for each area, and in identifying appropriate management structures and mechanisms for implementing the strategy.
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