Community groups across Renfrewshire could soon be able to bid for a share of £46,000 to improve local parks, woodlands and other green spaces.
The money is what remains of Renfrewshire Council's Green Spaces Fund. Councillors on the Communities and Housing Policy Board will be asked on Tuesday, 27 October, to open it up to new applications.
If the plan is approved, groups will be able to apply for grants of up to £10,000. Projects will need to focus on making physical and environmental improvements to green spaces, or on encouraging communities to make sustainable use of them.
Applications would be handled in the same way as the council's Sustainable Communities Fund, with a panel of officers from across the council assessing bids before recommendations go to councillors.
The £46,000 was first set aside in 2024 to support Team Up to Clean Up litter picks, environmental improvement projects and school-led initiatives. Because the council's main budget has since paid for Team Up to Clean Up, the money has not been needed for that, and officers now want to make it available to community groups instead.
The same board report also looks back at the Villages Investment Fund, which has awarded £821,531 to 72 community-led projects in Renfrewshire's villages since it was launched in 2018. Examples include £50,000 for a multi-use games area at Howwood Primary School, which is open to the community outside school hours, and £49,000 that helped Inchinnan Development Trust bring Teucheen Woodland into community ownership alongside £72,000 from the Scottish Land Fund. Kilbarchan Pipe Band received £20,000 in 2024 for new uniforms and a bass drum.
The Villages Investment Fund currently has £148,469 left to allocate, while the Sustainable Communities Fund has £197,837 available.
We'll share details of how to apply for the green spaces grants once they are confirmed.
Photo: Barshaw Pond, Barshaw Park, Paisley. Image: Rosser1954, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.