Accessibility tools
Powered by 
Translate
Use the boxes below to change the website colours.
Visit disclaimer page for more information about the accessibility tool.
Trees are planted at two Irvine sites
North Ayrshire Council is ploughing ahead with its ambitious drive to plant 108,000 new trees across the region.
The Council plans to meet this target, through its Tree Planting Strategy, as part of its aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.
To contribute to this, 7000 saplings of different species are currently being planted at Annick Valley Park in Irvine, with 8000 at Nethermains solar PV farm – which is situated between Irvine and Kilwinning.
Native species the Council has planted across both sites include beech, willow, alder oak, hawthorn, hazel and birch.
The trees are establishing well and were planted by Saltcoats company Greenway’s Gardening and Property Services – aligning with the Council’s Community Wealth Building (CWB) economic model.
This sees wealth being retained locally by local authorities and partners increasing fair employment opportunities and using local produce and resources – and the Council is considered to be leading the way in Scotland.
Using local businesses for projects supports the CWB pillar of progressive procurement, which state: “We will use our spend to actively encourage and support a growing, diverse and resilient local business base and to support our net zero carbon ambitions.”
The Council declared a climate emergency in June 2019, setting a net zero emissions target for 2030, and the Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategy provides a route map to achieve this target, and also tackle both the climate and nature emergencies.
Quote: I am really pleased to see that our Streetscene team is making good progress with the tree planting drive. This is vital work that not only aligns with our 2030 target but also helps to improve air quality as these trees will act as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon dioxide and helping cut the level of greenhouse gas emissions we are creating. As we all know, these emissions are a leading driver of global warming – so it is crucial that we – as a local authority – play our part in working towards becoming net zero.
Quote from: Councillor Eleanor Collier, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy
Through the Woodland Grant Fund, communities across the six localities can play their part in the effort to see more trees being planted.
This Fund delivers tree planting and woodland creation activity at grass roots level, by supporting new and developing tree planting projects, including the creation of community orchards.
The scheme has already proved successful, with thousands of trees having been planted throughout the mainland and on Arran.
A variety of groups have successfully received funding – with a limit of £5000 per year - to deliver projects ranging from the creation of small community fruit orchards to larger scale native woodland creation.
Published: 04 March 2026