The Strathbungo Society is delighted to learn that that the City Council has made funding available for improvements to privately-owned lanes such as those here in Strathbungo. The Private Lanes Fund will have a total of £700,000 over 4 funding rounds, starting this year.

Over several years, the state of the local lanes has been a cause for concern. During the recent pandemic, they have seen an increase in footfall as pedestrians have used them in preference to our streets, where the constant traffic can make foot travel dangerous. They are also the primary route for the rubbish collection. However, there are problems with them. Many have problems with drainage, with large pools of water making them all but impassable after a few days’ rain (and this is Scotland where a few days’ rain is normal!). Along others, the surface can be very irregular and walking requires a high degree of vigilance.

Previous attempts at repairs have floundered over the level of costs involved. But a dedicated fund could provide us with possible investment in one of our community resources. The Toolkit (available on the Council website) places emphasis not just on surfaces but on protecting biodiversity and encouraging active travel, walking, jogging and cycling. How could our lanes be made safer in those circumstances for such travellers?

We are advised that detailed guidelines on the fund will be available shortly but being prepared to take early advantage of the fund could stand us in good stead. We’d like to start planning now.

The Council has suggested to us that the best approach may be to have application on a lane-by-lane basis rather that making one application covering all lanes. So we are looking to form groups around each lane to take forward making grant applications. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact chair@strathbungo.co.uk