Fernbrae Meadows is a project funded by the SNH Green Infrastructure Fund. The project is transforming a former private golf course in South Lanarkshire into a new urban park. It will be the catalyst and centrepiece for a master planning exercise to regenerate the immediate area including new housing and access routes to the wider greenspace of Cathkin Park and the Commonwealth Games cycling facility.
 
The closure of Blairbeth Golf Club in 2015 was bad news for golfers and ultimately for locals, as the site became a magnet for anti-social behaviour. Following community consultations, South Lanarkshire Council applied to the Fund and got the green light for their project. The 20-hectare site has been renamed Fernbrae Meadows at the suggestion of the local community. As it borders Cathkin to the east, Fernhill to the south, and Castlemilk to the west, it has huge potential to be visited by many people and to connect hitherto distinct communities. 

Claire Thompson who is involved in the Fernbrae Meadows Friends Group said “It’s been so lovely to see the site develop over the past year, and every new addition is a pleasant surprise! It’s a beautiful, calm space, and we are so lucky to have it. I’m really looking forward to the future of Fernbrae Meadows!”

Local people are seizing the opportunity to use the park for a range of activities including health walks and school visits. Despite the project only being part complete, in spring and summer 2018, over two-dozen community events were held in the Meadows – the next event is a big summer event on 22 June.

Ian Rennick, Head of Structural Funds Projects, SNH said “It is great to have seen this project take shape and the way it has been embraced by the local community. It clearly has environmental benefits, but it has many economic and social benefits too. We’ll be promoting the lessons learned to encourage greater investment in projects of this type in future.” 
 
Find out more about the project