Work in historic woods to start

Fiona Howard • Published 20 May 2010 11:09 0 Comments

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THE Kilmahew Restoration Project will begin work in the field this summer.

Throughout the early part of the year, environmental arts charity NVA has appointed Chris Hughes to take the project forward and he has been working to put everything in place to allow teams of experts and volunteers to begin work on the historic woodland.

Chris told Monday's Cardross Community Council meeting that the Archdiocese of Glasgow which owns the site had now given permission for work to begin.

To start with, the principal effort would revolve around removing the rhododendrons that are clogging the site and clearing rubbish from the pathways.

Expert advise has been sought over which rhoddies should go and which are worth saving.

Detailed discussions have also been taking place with local residents in Cardross and Renton to develop a mix of possible strategies to achieve open public realm access, build training facilities for young people in the areas and expand resource management.

This has led to the formation of the Kilmahew Woodland Restoration Group to take forward these community aspirations.

NVA received an award from the Scottish Arts Council's National Lottery Public Art Fund for the development of a commission plan for the creation of significant temporary and permanent artworks at St Peter's Seminary and Kilmahew Woodlands, Cardross.

Woodland, ecology and landscape character assessments have already been funded by the Gulbenkian Foundation, Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage to ensure a dynamic and sensitive approach is taken to any future interventions.

The meeting heard that the current economic climate have made it unlikely that Urban Splash's ambitious plans for turning the old seminary into an hotel and building luxury homes in the grounds would go ahead but the plans for bringing the woodland walks back into public use will definitely go ahead.

The funding secured so far will allow the work to begin and that in turn will be used to generate further funding for more ambitious works.

Chris told the audience that he had also begun collecting recorded memories of the Kilmahew Estate from local people and had had a great response from folk in Renton who remembered walking over the Carman hill to Kilmahew in its heyday.

In the near future he will be looking for volunteers to come along and help with the clearance operations.

He commented: "It will not happen overnight but I have been appointed to get things moving after stagnating for 20 years we are now making progress."

Argyll and Bute Councillor Ellen Morton suggested that he tap into the employability scheme and to the community service orders operation for additional workforce and support.

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