Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Once derelict land now good to grow
Everything’s coming up roses for residents of an Airdrie village following the transformation of a long-vacant site at the heart of their home area.
New allotments and a community garden have been created on a derelict former mining area at Hillrigg in Wattston which has lain empty for more than three decades.
It includes a communal greenspace plus orchard and wildflower areas, and has now been handed over to members of the new Hillrigg allotment association who will look after the new site.
Wattston’s new allotments were created after a public consultation in November 2019 to allow residents to decide on the best option for their community space, with work starting on site 11 months ago.
It was restored thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s vacant and derelict land fund, which has also allowed North Lanarkshire Council to develop similar allotments at Viewpark and Mossend.
Enterprise convener Allan Graham said of Hillrigg: “This site was part of the mining works in this area and has been empty since 1988 so it’s wonderful to see it given a new life for everyone in the village to enjoy – we’re delighted to hand over the site to the allotment association and wish them every success.”
Allotments committee member Margaret O’byrne Linden said: “All plot holders are excited to get on with the work of growing and enjoying their own produce in a sustainable way.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to North Lanarkshire Council and the team at Caley Construction for all their hard work restoring this derelict site.
“A big thank you also goes to Kin Wa Li of the Community Partnership for all his help and support over the past three years bringing this project to fruition – we would not have managed without him.”
The residents were joined by North Lanarkshire provost Jean Jones for the official handover, as well as Councillor Graham and Airdrie South representative Alan Beveridge.