FORESTRY and Land Scotland are asking the public for their views on the future of the Piperhill site, near Sinclairston, East Ayrshire.

This former open cast coal mine site, a recent FLS acquisition, is located on the shoulder slopes between North Kyle Forest to the south and extensive lowland pastures to the north.

It lies some two km east of Sinclairston.

The Land Management Plan being developed for the site focuses on new woodland creation, sustainable timber production, enhancing biodiversity, and improving recreational access.

It includes details of

how FLS intends to manage the site until 2030 and additionally indicates a direction of travel for

the following 10 years to 2040.

Nick Hill, planning forester with the local FLS team, said: “Piperhill has a huge amount of potential and we believe it could provide an interesting and diverse gateway to the wider North Kyle block for a long-term increase in recreation.

“The initial phase of the plan focuses on new woodland creation on former mining ground.

“A mix of conifer and broadleaved woodlands, open wet woodland and a variety of open habitats are proposed.”

Nick told the Chronicle: “There is potential for this to become a valued community asset, so we’d really like to get as much local feedback and input as possible.

“Unfortunately, due to the situation with COVID-19, we are not able to

hold any community drop-in events or even plan for one.

“As an alternative, we’ve put all of the relevant documents on to our website.

“I’d encourage everyone with an interest to take a look and send us their comments to us.”