Connecting Communities with the Minto Woodlands Community Pathways
An exemplary model of community-led infrastructure development, the Minto Woodlands project has successfully created 3 km of accessible trails within Scotland's largest council-planted woodland.
The Minto Woodlands project is in the final stages of successfully transforming 3km of grass pathways into accessible, multi-use tarmac trails within Scotland's largest council-planted woodland. Led by the Cardenden Community Council's Minto Working Group, this £100,000+ initiative demonstrates how effective community partnership can create a lasting infrastructure that enhances quality of life, promotes active travel, and builds stronger community connections between neighbouring villages.
Project Background
The project is situated on the site of the former Minto colliery, located between the Fife communities of Cardenden and Lochgelly. In 2021, Fife Council created a new woodland at this location, planting 65,000 trees across 98 acres with funding from Scottish Forestry, making it the largest woodland the council has ever planted. The woodland serves the community of Cardenden.
The newly established woodland featured grass pathways. However, this limited accessibility and usage. The paths presented several challenges including limited access for people with mobility aids, regular maintenance requirements with mowing needed three times a year, weather-dependent usability, and low weekly usage of only 35-40 people per week. Additionally, the existing pathways in and around Cardenden took users along traffic-heavy routes and the routes were often narrow and not fit for purpose.
Project Development
The Minto Working Group was established in August 2023 as a subgroup of the Cardenden Community Council. 13 members made up the working group and they brought with them a variety of experience including project management expertise, woodland specialists, Fife Council officers, and community representatives.
The project encompassed approximately 3km of pathways. The upgrade involved transforming grass surfaces to semi-bound tarmac with paths to accommodate multiple users, including wheelchairs. Ramps would also be introduced at gates to support accessibility.
Funding and Financial Management
The project required over £100,000 in total funding, which was raised through a diversified funding strategy. The group approached the Nadara Westfield Wind Farm Community Fund for Cardenden to request a continuation of £5,000 towards the project. This fund supports projects benefiting residents of the Cardenden Community Council area and is overseen by a panel of residents and community councillors.
The fund has a maximum grant award of £2,000. However, the panel considers higher awards in exceptional circumstances where the project can demonstrate a significant impact on the community. Following careful consideration, the panel agreed to award the full requested amount of £5,000.
Implementation and Delivery
The project was led by Cardenden Community Council through the Minto Working Group, with project management undertaken by Fife Council's Green Space Manager, who also managed the tender process. This project is a great example of partnership working.
Community consultation played a crucial role in the pathway selection, with priorities focused on connectivity between Cardenden and Lochgelly, preservation of scenic viewpoints to future-proof against tree growth, user accessibility and safety, and integration with existing path networks. This consultative approach ensured the final design met genuine community needs and preferences.
Project Outcomes and Impact
Significant accessibility improvements were achieved through the upgraded pathways. The new surface provides enhanced access for mobility aid users, enables weather-independent usage, creates safer routes for access, and establishes a traffic-free recreational space for the community.
Last thoughts
As the project nears completion there is excitement and relief from the project team.
Elaine Collins from Cardenden Community Council noted:
This was an ambitious project to upgrade grass paths on a newly created woodland of over 68000 trees. I am pleased to report that the paths were completed yesterday. I need to be honest and say it was challenging raising all the funds required (over £100,000) but we got there and the result is almost 3km of semi-bound path which will make a huge impact for the community.
As projects rarely go as planned, the group has some further work to do to complete the project and bring it over the finish line. It is currently seeking funding for finishing touches such as line painting and signage, and once complete, the pathways will be officially opened.
Conclusion
The Minto Woodlands Community Pathways project represents an exemplary model of community-led infrastructure development. Through effective partnership working, comprehensive planning, and strong community leadership, the project has delivered lasting benefits that will serve the community for decades to come.
The project's success in transforming an underutilised community asset into a thriving recreational facility demonstrates the potential for community-driven development to create meaningful, sustainable change.
Read more about the Nadara Westfield Wind Farm Community Fund for Cardenden.