E
Eli Graham
Guest
Introduction
Location and Background
The Bathgate Meadows Nature Park (BMNP) site is located between a 144-hectare housing development with 2,000 residential properties and Bathgate Town Centre. The site has been impacted over the years by industries that have come and gone from mining, to ironworks and finally vehicle manufacturing.
The Bog Burn flows through the heart of Bathgate but for large sections of its length it is hidden from view and inaccessible for the community. The watercourse has been heavily degraded over the years through human intervention and no longer supports the aquatic life it could.
Bathgate has been identified as a regeneration area in West Lothian due to its relatively low socio-economic status. One of the identified priorities in Bathgate is to improve accessibility and connectivity, including safe options for walking and cycling.
The project aims to address the issues above by helping the Bog Burn become a functional part of the landscape and environment again. Restoring the river will bring it back to the local community and improve its ability to support a range of functions from helping manage surface water run-off, restoring natural processes to supporting a wider variety of local wildlife.
This is a five year multi-million-pound project that creates multiple environmental benefits for nature, people and heritage and bring life back into the area. The project is at the heart of the community, so their aspirations must be the main focus in its development. The project’s success will bring multiple environmental benefits and bring life back into the area.
The Vision
The vision for the Bathgate Meadows Nature Park is to work with local people to create a large, high-quality, accessible and wildlife-rich nature park on former industrial land, regenerating the rivers that run through the town, creating new direct connections between Blackburn, Wester Inch, and the historic town centre and its transport hubs helping inject new life into the town centre, galvanise the town’s newfound role as a thriving suburb and provide a natural space where wildlife can thrive and people can linger a while.
The vision aims to deliver the following outcomes for the project which has sustainability, net zero and climate change mitigation at its heart:
- The extended urban area will have a green heart supported by a network of habitats with the Bog Burn and Boghead Burns as its arteries.
- The town will be well connected and serviced by a network of active links.
- Local people and communities will be at the centre of decision making and delivery.
- Water quality and biodiversity will be enhanced, and the project will implement the best solution taking into account constraints and value for money.
What will be delivered:
- Sustainability: The project will seek to have net zero, sustainability and climate change mitigation at its heart. At every stage of the project from design to works we will look for opportunities to embed sustainability principles, manage and minimise carbon throughout the project lifecycles (whole life carbon). We will seek to develop a project design which aims to achieve sustainable outcomes during the works phase including, but not limited to, the re-use and recycling of materials, reduced use of ‘high carbon’ materials and have low energy methods of construction.
- Accessibility to all – The project will open opportunity for those relying on car to use a sustainable alternative. It will provide a safer, more attractive alternative to those dependent on a car to commute to nearby communities and the railway station. It will also remove the barrier to people living in deprived socio-economic areas by providing accessibility to all.
- Community Engagement – The community engagement, that has already taken place, has been a key factor in the development of the project to date. This engagement highlighted the communities’ desire for improvements that will benefit the natural environment and active travel. A masterplan will be developed that will put the community at its heart by developing the ideas of the community, focusing on its aspirations. It will also include the aspiration of the project of; river restoration, community stewardship, sustainable travel and larger urban-rural green networks.
- Create a green heart – By creating better-quality amenity and green space, with improved pathways, walking routes and play areas, increased community engagement and creation of community art installations. This will help secure a greater level of community awareness and better stewardship of the environment. The project will create social and economic benefits for surrounding communities, some of which are amongst the most deprived in Scotland.
- Economic productivity – Ensure that the project supports local businesses during delivery and engenders a sense of stewardship on completion.
- Improve river corridor – Restoration and improvements to the river corridor to create a more natural environment, which is more resilient and supports a wider range of native species.
- Low carbon – The provision of an improved path network through and beyond the main area of the project will allow people to make informed active travel choices. It can encourage a modal shift from journeys made by car to walking, cycling and scooting by offering a safe, convenient, effective and direct travel network for journeys to schools, places of work, the town centre and railway station.
- Partnership Model – engage and work collectively throughout, with all partners to find new ways to develop and deliver an inspiring project, which empowers the community and local delivery agencies.
- Water innovation – Consider surface water management and find innovative ways to manage water in the area, improving its quality and reducing flood risk.
To deliver this, a flexible programme of works will be required, which can enable delivery of the vision in a way which supports local businesses and takes advantage of both small and medium enterprises, the third-sector and both private and public funding.
Project partners:
- West Lothian Council (Project Lead)
- Green Action Trust
- Forth Rivers Trust
- SEPA
- Sustrans
Title and work outline
Engagement and Activities Plan
Overview of work required / Scope of Services
The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) have awarded funding to the development phase of the project. The Engagement and Activities Plan is therefore being funded by NLHF. The Plan will be used in the next NLHF application to secure stage 2 funding for the delivery phase, expected submission date March 2025.
The Engagement and Activities Plan should identify solutions for the key aims and objectives from the stage 1 funding document. Engagement and activities should be designed to run parallel to the capital works being undertaken during the delivery phase, due to commence from July 2026 and should intertwine with these, complimenting and maximizing the opportunities they present. The objectives from the stage 1 application include:
- Environmental Outcomes
- Small scale habitat restoration delivered by volunteers.
- Managing existing habitat to enhance biodiversity.
- New habitats will be created, with space for people to observe and play in nature.
- River quality improvement
- Tree planting programme for habitat, pollution control and shade.
- Citizen science baseline surveys to help measure and plan further impact.
- Social Outcomes
- Increased health and wellbeing of visitors to BMNP
- Explore alternative models of habitat and amenity space management
- Low-barrier benefit to the people of Bathgate
- Behaviour change – active travel across the project area
- Local stewardship skills and knowledge
- Wider demographic involved in and making use of the project area
- Increasing racial diversity in the environmental sector
- Disability representation in active travel development
- Economic Outcomes
- Local capital works contracts
- Local employment opportunities
- Volunteering opportunities
- Training opportunities – Outlined in Traineeships Programme
- Behaviour change – Cross department working within WLC (a minimum of 3)
The consultant should be familiar with natural heritage and community engagement projects, and the development of Audience Development and Interpretation Plans for NLHF bids.
All solutions should identify the Health and Welling opportunities of the activity, using the NLHF Wellbeing Guidance.
Methodology
Please propose your methodology and state how you will include the following principles:
- Representation of the Bathgate demographic including new and hard to reach audiences
- Engagement with existing community groups
- Engagement with schools
- Engagement with partners including departments of WLC
- Fostering of management legacy
- Use of FRT’s table top model river
- Building on and learning from FRT’s Interim Community Engagement Plan.
Outputs / Deliverables
- Complete Engagement and Activity Plan to support the round 2 application for NLHF funding.
- Detailed costing for the delivery of the plan.
- Activities linked to capital projects
- Detail of how the activities will support the project aims and objectives
- Monitoring and evaluation integrated into activities.
The final deadline of September 2024 must be met in order for FRT to include the Plan in the stage 2 application to NLHF.
You may draw on the project background, partners and FRT’s Community Projects Manager to inform your work.
To support cross department working within WLC the following WLC council departments have expressed interest in being involved in engagement opportunities in the project.
- Community Justice Services
Award criteria
Budget (fees, costs & value for money); objectives & scope of service (meeting requirements); experience & technical knowledge of proposed personnel; timetable (demonstrated ability to meet timeframe required).
Estimated value of tender
IRO £15,000 excluding VAT
Your fee should include for any other specialist deemed necessary to undertake this work. Fees shall be deemed to include all normally incurred expenses (including consumable materials, data licenses, permissions etc), disbursements and travel costs associated with the provision of the Services.
Estimated duration of works
We estimate the duration of the contract to be approximately mid-April to early August 2024, during the BNMP development phase, though this may be sooner. The final deadline is August 2024.
Tender submissions should include the following:
- Proposed team – details and experience of the team involved, including identification of the project manager / team leader
- Budget – a breakdown of costs to include:
- Total cost for professional services excluding VAT
- Total number of days required to undertake the work
- Total number of days’ input and relevant day/hourly rate for each team member
- Estimated costs allowed for travel and, separately, accommodation and other subsistence, if relevant
- Estimated costs for any other expenses such as printing
- Total cost for all work and expenses, excluding VAT
- VAT status
- Methodology – confirmation of the proposed method and program of work, taking into consideration the Scope of Services required.
- Key sources – key sources and contacts to be used in undertaking the work
- Presentation – how findings and recommendations will be presented and proposed format of outputs.
- Community benefits. Details on if the business or team members are based in the locality of the project area or how the local population will be included in the planning process.
Tenders will be evaluated with a weighting of 70% for quality and 30% on cost, and will not automatically select the lowest bid. The following scoring matrix will be applied.
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Timescale
The work will be undertaken between end of April to early August 20243, during the BMNP project development phase.
The provisional programme is as follows:
- Tender Issue 18th March 2024
- Last date for questions 5th April 2024
- Tender Return 12th April 2024
- Tender Evaluation 15th-19th April 2024
- Contract Award 22nd April 2024
- Contract Start 29th April 2024
Contract Management
The service commissioned will commence on 29th April 2024, or as soon after at the start up meeting and complete for 5th August 2024, or by 19th August 2024 at the latest, with the submission of the final report.
The anticipated budget is IRO £15,000 to include all expenses but excluding VAT.
The preferred payment schedule is 100% on completion.
The contract will be managed by Merlin Planterose, Community Projects Manager at Forth Rivers Trust.
Terms and Conditions
NHLF procurement guidance applies and prior written approval will be required for any bodies applying who are linked to Forth Rivers Trust.
Upon a successful bid the following evidence will be required.
- Proof of right to work/operate in the UK for all personnel undertaking the work.
- Copies of relevant liability insurance.
- Copy of Health and Safety policy statement.
- Proof of compliance with Scottish Government Fair Work First (payment of Living Wage and effective workers voice).
Contact point for queries and tender returns
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