Toryglen Green Infrastructure & Active Travel

The Project

idverde’s contract with Clyde Gateway involved the creation of a mixed-use community park of approximately 16 hectares of vacant land surrounding the Prospecthill Circus community, as a key part of the Toryglen masterplan for residents and visitors.

The park incorporates play areas, a wetland area and a network of paths for walkers and cyclists. The project also brought the Malls Mire Woodland Local Nature Reserve into further positive management by enhancing personal security, improving accessibility and providing new facilities for outdoor learning and natural play. The nature reserve area, set within the Malls Mire woods included an art trail and spaces for outdoor events, learning and performances.

This investment in green space provided facilities for outdoor health, wellbeing and natural play and is in addition to the fantastic improvements already secured by the Toryglen community and its partners which are resulting in the transformation of the area.

Our Role

The works comprised of :

• Site setup and establishment
• Woodland and vegetation clearance
• Site preparation
• Groundwork preparation
• Construction and landscaping work at 3 zones

Phase 1 Toryglen Park Zone:

• Earthworks/groundworks: Topsoil strip, excavation for foundations, reduced level excavation, type 1 sub-base, timber edging, installation of Geoweb Cells, installation of mesh, installation of arch structure, installation of Sky Marble Gravel, installation of topsoil and concrete pouring.
• Installation of: feeder pillar, cabling, lighting columns, steelwork features, decorative fencing, aluminium edging, clay pavers, kerb edging, drainage and ducting.
• Construction of network paths and pavings
• Removal of existing concrete edging and surfacing, re-using surfacing where possible.
• Topsoil strip; reduced level excavation
• Soft landscape construction and planting for the play areas and open recreational space
• Topsoil strip, reduced level excavation, installation of upfill to mounds, installation of 6F5 Base layer, type 3 sub-base and topsoil.
• Tree shaped gravel path
• Foundations for play area
• Installation of site furniture and play equipment, including an outdoor gym, two play areas and a bike pump track.

Play area and equipment comprised of: nature play tunnels embedded within small mounds, tree stump forest, balancing beams and stepping stones, activity net, natural play mounds, timber climbing area, swing apparatus, springing circle, trail with timber balancing beams,  zipwire/cableway, climbing ropes, various gym workout apparatus, a Ferraphone comprising of steel tubes to create musical sounds, stainless steel talking tubes and a seating area.

Phase 2 Wetland Park Zone

Upgrade of existing footpaths to create a a three-metre wide lit path to improve the quality and usability of the path network for cyclists and walkers.

Earthworks/Groundworks:

• Erect compound and site fencing
• Remove scrub vegetation and treat existing Japanese Knotweed
• Remove fly tipping
• Excavation for foundation
• Installation of Mesh
• Pour concrete
• Installation of steelwork features, aluminium edging and clay pavers

New paths and pavings:

• Asphalt paths: Topsoil strip; reduced level excavation; Installation of Type 1 sub-base, base course and surface course, edge kerbing, drainage, ducting, topsoil, feeder pillar, cabling and lighting columns
• Gravel paths: Topsoil strip, reduced level excavation, Installation of Type 1 sub-base, timber edging, drainage, timber bench, fencing, gravel and topsoil.

Phase 3: Malls Mire Woodland – Zone 3

• Site clearance: remove existing rubble piles, surfacing and edging, seats and foundations, existing road kerbs, wall and railings.
• Crown lifting of trees; Thinning out of Hawthorn, removal of trees and removal of scrub vegetation
• Installations of features at 5nr areas: Foundations; installation of mesh; pour concrete; installation of features; aluminium edging; pour concrete; installation of clay pavers
• Woodland Play area installation and Woodland Shelter.
• Installation of Prospecthill Place Play Area
• Network of asphalt, gravel, whinstone and woodchip paths throughout the zone
• Soft landscaping
• Planting
• Associated drainage and external services

The Challenges

A challenge at the beginning of the project was anti-social behaviour, which we responded to by engaging with the community. Through Tigers, we offered 3 local young people 8 weeks full-time skill training on the job. One of these has been retained and is now in full-time employment as an apprentice.

Extremely hard ground made up of fused-slag, which we had to break up using heavy breakers and an excavator attachment.

Contaminated material being re-used, shaped and capped on site, thereby meeting the environmental objective of no removal of materials/waste from site.