Plan for Bathgate meadows to go ahead despite £17m knockback by National Lottery

Edinburgh Live

6 days ago

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Plans to provide a green lane through the heart of Bathgate will survive the loss of £17m National Lottery funding, councillors have been told.
The plan, launched in 2022, will eventually see Bathgate Burn restored and its banks turned into green space, as well as creating travel routes running through the heart of the town.
However, having funded initial design plans the National Lottery Heritage Fund backed away from proposals in January because of ' the very significant increase in the cost and scope of the project.'
New, rationalised proposals expected later this year will concentrate on the greening of the Bathgate Burn.
The withdrawal caused consternation among local groups working with the Council and national agencies such as SEPA and Sustrans, looking at ways to bring the Bathgate Meadows Nature Park to life.
What had started out as potentially a £10m project had ballooned to £20m as the number of active travel routes had increased, involving more work on the town's streets as well as along the banks of the Bathgate Burn.
In a report to the town's local area management committee this week Graeme Burton the council's Design Engineering Manager said: ' The feedback from the National Lottery Heritage Fund was that the level of unsecured match funding was the main risk to the project, as well as the increase in scope.
'A significant portion of the unsecured funding is because the council is only able to apply for active travel funding from Transport Scotland on a yearly basis, which is not guaranteed.
Mr Burton report added 'the council will aim to rationalise the current scope during the next phase of the design.'
Despite the unsuccessful National Lottery application, SEPA have expressed their ambition to continue funding the project through to the construction phase.
SUStrans Places for Everyone funding will still be available until September 2025, at which point this funding stream will cease. Other funding will need to be applied for on a yearly basis to deliver the active travel elements through Transport Scotland's Active Travel Infrastructure Fund. This fund takes the place of the SUStrans Places for Everyone fund.
Mr Burton's report to the local area committee added: 'Officers have recently been liaising with all project partners and the Project Board to identify the next steps. It is intended that river restoration and active travel elements will continue development, however, the community engagement and traineeships elements will reduce in scope.
'One of the project partners, Forth Rivers Trust, was the partner who would have continued community engagement and traineeships, however, it has been decided that West Lothian Council officers will progress community engagement on a reduced scale, with no further involvement from Forth Rivers Trust.
'Designs are currently ongoing, with detailed designs for river restoration programmed to be complete towards the end of 2026, following statutory consultation periods and due to seasonal constraints for wildlife identified within the area.
'The detailed design for some active travel routes are programmed to be complete by Autumn 2025."
Council officers had to call an emergency meeting with the local committee in January when the National Lottery made its decision. There were widespread fears that the project would collapse.
At the time a council spokesperson described the decision as "obviously disappointing" but stressed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service: ' It is not correct to suggest that the Bathgate Meadows Nature Park Project has been cancelled.
'This is an ambitious multi-year project involving multiple partners with the aim of regenerating the area around the Bathgate Water. The council is a member of a multi-agency project board, working alongside members of the community to deliver the Bathgate Meadows restoration. This is a complex piece of work, funded through multiple phases via a number of identified funding streams.'
Councillor Pauline Stafford sought assurances that community involvement would still be part of the plan Mr Burton said that it has been decided that West Lothian Council officers will progress community engagement on a reduced scale, with no further involvement from Forth Rivers Trust.