NEW woodland, orchards, allotments or wildlife habitats could be on their way to Kilwinning in the next few years, following a recent land deal worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

People in the Kilwinning area will be asked to get involved in shaping proposals for a piece of land recently acquired by Forestry Commission Scotland.

The government department, which aims to protect and expand Scotland’s forests and woodland, has purchased around 77 acres of land at Woodgreen Farm, to the north of the town.

Recently advertised as for sale for offers over £290,000, the land at Woodgreen sits within a ring fenced block and was historically used by a small daily herd.

More recently, the farm has been utilised for a small beef and sheep enterprise and the land used for grazing and production of hay and silage.

Forestry Commission Scotland believe the small area of land could be used to improve local people’s access to recreation and greenspace. There might also be scope for community allotments or orchards with some woodland planting and enhancements to existing wildlife habitats created.

Before any decisions are made on the future of the land, a public consultation will take place and this is expected to be carried out next year.

Roddy McTavish, community ranger with Forestry Commission Scotland said: “As we develop plans for the site we will be keen to get the views of our new neighbours and the surrounding community – this is always very important to us.

“It normally takes around a couple of years to get all the approvals, plans and consultations undertaken so there is plenty of time for views to come in. For this reason the local community won’t see any change at the site until sometime into 2016.

“Until this point, parts of the land will continue to be managed under our standard grazing agreements.” Forestry Commission Scotland intends to advertise soon for the grazing on the former farmland with contracts ending before any work begins on the site in 2016.

For any questions or queries please contact Roddy McTavish on 07769 725237 or roddy.mctavish@forestry.gsi.gov.uk