‘Good Places Better Health for Scotland’s Children’, the Scottish Government’s latest health report, recommends having well maintained and managed public spaces; creating neighbourhoods which support and encourage children's access to the natural world in their everyday lives; and creating a Scottish Neighbourhood Quality Standard that is used as a standard for neighbourhood asset development.

The Scottish Land Use Strategy Action Plan published in December sets out actions to deliver the proposals in the Land Use Strategy adopted in March 2011 to contribute to the long term vision for land use and the management of Scotland's land and resources. The CSGN is seen as contributing to 3 of the thirteen proposals.

The CSGN, supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, is developing proposals to extend by 2014 the existing John Muir Way which currently runs from Dunbar to Fisherrow in Musselburgh through to Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park-Scotland’s first national park and over to Helensburgh. Studies have shown that such a route will prove attractive not only to native Scots but to many abroad, not only in the United States but around the globe where Muir’s name resonates loudly. The economic benefit study shows that with appropriate marketing some 700 jobs could be created over the first five years of the route’s existence with an estimated 9,000 end to end walkers in the first year.

CoSLA’s Annual Conference on 17 February provided an opportunity for Keith Geddes, CSGN Partnership Board Chair, to flag the benefits of the CSGN to Alex Salmond MSP, First Minister of Scotland. An early ambition for the CSGN is to develop the John Muir Way across central Scotland in time for 2014, both the Year of Homecoming and the centenary of Muir’s death.