North Kyle Masterplan

Lyndy Renwick is the Community and Communications Manager for the South Region of Forestry and Land Scotland.

Forestry and Land Scotland's purpose is to manage the landscape for everyone, from welcoming visitors and producing sustainable timber, to protecting wildlife, natural habitats and even exploring our archaeological heritage.

“Scottish Coal left an environmental nightmare with open cast. We wanted to do something with North Kyle that would benefit the communities of East Ayrshire. Through community consultation we produced a master plan document. Every ten years we renew the LAN management plan for every forest block within the Region. The renewal of the North Kyle plan was part of our project for the CCLP. Brockwell's wind farm is a game changer, they have restored the site, it wouldn't have been restored to the degree that it has been if it wasn't for the wind farm. They also have brought in the monies and of course the communities. The 9CCG is also part of this as they are going to be the ones that hopefully run the show.”

These are not just enthusiastic words, the master plan document went on to win the Landscape Institute Award for strategic landscapes. National recognition for a superbly thought out plan on an ambitious scale, delivering for local people.

The plan is a true reflection of how forestry, communities and wind farm developers can all work together. The ideal being nothing less than the economic and social regeneration of East Ayrshire. The loss of the mining industry was devastating and previous plans have barely scratched the surface in terms of restoring what has been lost. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Read more from Eddie Fraser.

“I was against the wind farm idea at first, but to be fair I have to eat humble pie now as it is a good thing. Carolann McPhilemy and the CCLP brought in different relationships and partnerships and that was a game changer.”

The scale of the project is vast with the North Kyle Forest covering over 4000 hectares. Within it there are several large voids where coal was quarried out, a huge change from the traditional deep mines like Barony or Killoch. In addition there are equally vast areas of rock and soil that were extracted to get to the coal seams and dumped around the site.

Work is currently underway to reduce the height of the spoil heaps to makes them more stable, therefore safer and more visually pleasing as rolling hills rather than giant piles. It would be impractical to completely fill in the holes so instead, the spoil is used to soften the landscape and make a feature of the water bodies the lie in them. The contractor actually carrying out the reshaping of the land is Jones Brothers Civil Engineering UK.

The wind farm development operated by Brockwell Energy Ltd comprises 49 turbines on a site of around 1500 hectares. This is on track to become the only such development with public access for vehicles. Many others have rights of access for walking or cycling but this is set to be a first.

Several other CCLP projects tie in with the North Kyle site and the master plan itself. In particular the Wildwoods project by Eadha, the Pollinators project by the Coalfields Environment initiative and the East Ayrshire woodlands and of course Connecting Communities.

The new economic model is not yet fully in place and has several strands to it. There is some traditional commercial forestry. The main source of income is clean green energy from the wind turbines, a stark contrast to the carbon laden coal and the dirty way it was mined. There will also be opportunities for small business ventures inspired by the central theme of tourism. This site will be primarily for recreational use, open to visitors from near and far.

The plan is an ambitious one but there is literally a huge void to fill with the demise of mining. A sports hub with cafe in the middle of the forest would sit almost at the geographical centre of all nine communities. Roads with an intersecting network of walking and cycling tracks would physically connect them.

The centre would provide an opportunity to attract leisurely and competitive events on land, in or on the water from all over the UK. Cycling, wind surfing, trail running jet skiing or just walking the dog, anything is possible at the moment.

An electric charging hub could supply visitors cars, electric bikes and even an electric shuttle bus.

“My Dream s that North Kyle becomes the outdoor centre for outdoor activities. I want it to be the go to centre for wild, energetic outdoor activities with Loch Doon being the area for quiet reflection. I want North Kyle to create employment for the local people and inspire entrepreneurs. I'd love to see a wind turbine that folks could have a look inside or with a café and observation platform at the top. A place to discuss the idea of the change from dirty energy to clean. I would really love to see a floating stage at Penyvenie, the acoustics would be something else!”

The image below shows an open cast site as it was left by Scottish Coal. Note the steep, high, unstable sides and sharp edges. There are old tyres and other debris abandoned on site. Not only unsightly but dangerous and completely unsuitable for public access. This picture is from the Forestry and Land Scotland archives. The photographer is unknown at present.