Open Space plan

A new Open Space Plan is to be adopted for the West Lothian area.

A meeting of West Lothian Council Executive approved the adoption of a new Open Space Plan which will be in place from 2020 until 2024 and will provide a strategic vision for the provision, development, regeneration and management of open space within West Lothian in a co-ordinated, proactive and sustainable way.

A wide variety of open spaces are managed by the council including, country parks, public parks, play areas, woodland, cemeteries and natural greenspaces.

The plan seeks to ensure open space within the council boundary is strategically managed to deliver meaningful benefits to local communities, whilst securing best value and providing a clear and prioritised framework for further investment and management.

The new Open Space Plan will be reviewed every five years and it is envisaged that over the coming two years Annexes of the Plan will be developed and presented to Committee for each of the Open Space Asset Categories within the asset group.

These annexes will cover service areas such as Food Growing, Cemeteries, Play Areas, Parks and Woodlands, Core Paths, Bio/ Geo Diversity, Green and Blue Networks, Sports Facilities and Public Art.

Executive councillor for the environment, Tom Conn, said: “West Lothian Council is committed to ensuring the authority area is well served with a wide range of public parks, play areas, sports pitches and other open spaces.”