Glenhead Woodland Creation and Peatland Restoration

What we are doing 

To date, we have delivered a total of 338 hectares of peatland restoration at a remote stretch of upland ground near Backwater Reservoir over two phases of work.

There are plans for a third phase of work to be carried out later in 2026, targeting another 192 hectares of peatland - making it one of Scottish Water’s biggest peatland restoration projects so far. 

We are also developing proposals for a major 600 hectare native woodland creation project in the Glenhead area, titled Glenhead Water Woods, with the aim to start planting from 2027 onwards.

We held an information event on Thursday, 28 May at Kilry Village Hall to allow the local community to find out more about these woodland creation proposals, share their views and ask the project team any questions they had about the plans.

The posters that were on display at this event are available to view in the document hub and you can leave feedback on the proposals here until June 11: Glenhead Water Woods - Feedback Survey

Why we are doing it 

Catchment scale woodland creation and peatland restoration projects such as this are key in helping us protect the quality of our water resources against the increasing impacts of climate change, as well as improving biodiversity and providing a natural carbon store. 
 
These nature-based approaches help to improve reservoir water quality and to stabilise water flow by slowing down and storing water in the landscape.